Cheese or No Cheese

springtrio

I have a slice of Sargento Natural Provolone or Mozzarella slice every afternoon for a snack. 60 calories, no sugar, no carbs. What's not to love about that? If you're putting a quater pound of it over your veggies every day, I'd worry. Everything in excess is bad for you. Eat your cheese. I've lost 100lbs. sticking with this (although I gained back 30 of those lbs., but have recently lost 8 of them so 78lbs. down - but cheese had no roll in this - overeating did). Moderation

TheBraveryLover

Oh gosh, I can already tell by the amount of responses that there was some debating going on about this. I'll just say this, OP; ever since I lowered my carbs and increased my protein and fat, I have noticed a difference in my stomach fat and I have still lost 2 pounds a week (or more) consistently. I eat cheese for snacks almost every single day. Usually 2-3 ounces depending on how many cals I have available.

elsieshaye

I'm a low-carber, more paleo now in summer because of all the lovely berries, but I love cheese. I totally agree with the people who say, portion it out and view it as a treat. Decrease something you feel "meh" about to make up for it, but definitely put together a plan you can live with. Personally, I go for full-fat cheese, and treat it like a dessert - it's an occasional treat. But since I'm not counting fat, only carb, full fat may not work for you.

ETA, because I'm a nitpicker: Cheese is totally fine on a low-carb diet, but paleo omits dairy. I tend to decrease the dairy anyway because it has a fair amount of carbs, which I'd rather spend on fruit. But they will pry my brie (and the occasional 1/4 cup of full fat-and-sugar strawberry ice cream) out of my cold, dead hands, regardless of what eating paradigm I'm following.

IronSmasher

Mass=X
Gravity=Y

Therefore
U=Idiot

TrishJimenez

The way I see it, you said you have a long way to go. And the more you deprive yourself of the things you love the harder it will be. JMO. I can not completely deprive myself or I will be miserable. AndI also love cheese

beckyinma

I can't deprive myself of cheese, it's one of my only sources of calcium each day, and I'm predisposed to osteoporosis. I buy 1lb blocks at the grocery store and cut it up into 16 same size chunks before starting to enjoy it. Then, one block at a time. Usually jack, swiss or sharp cheddar are my go-tos. LOVE cheese...and I eat it real slow. I almost always have cheese on my sandwiches or lettuce wraps, either slices or low fat feta.

maryd523

I can't deprive myself of cheese, it's one of my only sources of calcium each day, and I'm predisposed to osteoporosis. I buy 1lb blocks at the grocery store and cut it up into 16 same size chunks before starting to enjoy it. Then, one block at a time. Usually jack, swiss or sharp cheddar are my go-tos. LOVE cheese...and I eat it real slow. I almost always have cheese on my sandwiches or lettuce wraps, either slices or low fat feta.

Dairy actually causes osteoporosis, because it makes our blood slightly acidic and the body has to pull calcium from its stores to neautralize it. You would be much better off getting calcium from vegetables and other sources. Check out the exerpt below:


"One of the most serious problems caused by a calcium deficiency is osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the loss of 50 to 75 percent of the person's original bone material. In the U.S., 25 percent of 65-year-old women suffer from osteoporosis. Their bones become brittle and easily broken. They can crack a rib from something as minor as a sneeze. Our pervasive dairy advertising has led to one of the most commonly held, and solidly disproved, fallacies about bones, which is that the best way to build strong bones is to increase calcium consumption by drinking plenty of milk. Actually, the consensus among leading medical researchers is that the best way for most people to increase their calcium level and strengthen their bones is to reduce their protein intake, and specifically to reduce consumption of animal products. Research has conclusively shown we can do more to increase the calcium level in our bones by reducing protein intake than by increasing calcium intake. The reason is that animal products and other sources of high protein are very acidic, and the blood stream must balance this acidic condition by absorbing alkaline minerals such as calcium from the bone structure. Thus, numerous studies, including those published in the Aug. 22, 1984 Medical Tribune and the March 1983 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, have found that vegetarians have much stronger bones than meat-eaters. Indeed, the Journal of Clinical Nutrition article found that by age 65, meat-eaters had five to six times as much measurable bone loss as vegetarians."


Here's the link if you want to read more about it. http://josquin.tripod.com/milk.htm

PlanetVelma

I love cheese...and milk and yogurt and I do NOT deprive myself of them. I do watch my portions of cheese/milk/yogurt. I did cut out cheese when I was in Weight Watchers a few years ago, but I always missed my cheese. LOL Now I just make sure it fits within my alotted calories for the day.

Edited to add: I stay away from the low-fat or fat free versions (too much sodium), I'd rather have the calories versus the sodium.

MsEmmy

Two things regarding the dairy debate. Bear in mind I DO drink milk and eat veggie cheese although as a veggie I feel very uneasy about it simply becasue of the farming methods and particularly separating cows from calves very early and the routine cull of millions of male calves as they are not useful to the dairy industry. But I digress...

(1) Most people who think they are 'dairy intolerant' are not really. They cannot tolerate HOMOGENISED milk, a process which is done because we fusspots don't like to see separated cream on the top of our milk. All these problems with milk occured when we started to homogenise. If we just pasteurise, then most people will not have a problem. Humans have been drinking milk for centuries and this problem is pretty recent. There are a few people with genuine allergies but not as many as you would be led to believe.

(2) Avoiding dairy can cause problems with intolerance in the next generation. One of my friends is orthorexic and avoids dairy. Her son was born with a massive intolerance for dairy and cannot participate in normal activities like kids parties. He looks at the party food on the table and has to get some second rate substitute from his Mum's bag as all the other kids are tucking in.

Sorry to nick OP's thread, but I did answer the original question earlier on

Everything in moderation.

MsEmmy

I can't deprive myself of cheese, it's one of my only sources of calcium each day, and I'm predisposed to osteoporosis. I buy 1lb blocks at the grocery store and cut it up into 16 same size chunks before starting to enjoy it. Then, one block at a time. Usually jack, swiss or sharp cheddar are my go-tos. LOVE cheese...and I eat it real slow. I almost always have cheese on my sandwiches or lettuce wraps, either slices or low fat feta.

Dairy actually causes osteoporosis, because it makes our blood slightly acidic and the body has to pull calcium from its stores to neautralize it. You would be much better off getting calcium from vegetables and other sources. Check out the exerpt below:


"One of the most serious problems caused by a calcium deficiency is osteoporosis, a condition characterized by the loss of 50 to 75 percent of the person's original bone material. In the U.S., 25 percent of 65-year-old women suffer from osteoporosis. Their bones become brittle and easily broken. They can crack a rib from something as minor as a sneeze. Our pervasive dairy advertising has led to one of the most commonly held, and solidly disproved, fallacies about bones, which is that the best way to build strong bones is to increase calcium consumption by drinking plenty of milk. Actually, the consensus among leading medical researchers is that the best way for most people to increase their calcium level and strengthen their bones is to reduce their protein intake, and specifically to reduce consumption of animal products. Research has conclusively shown we can do more to increase the calcium level in our bones by reducing protein intake than by increasing calcium intake. The reason is that animal products and other sources of high protein are very acidic, and the blood stream must balance this acidic condition by absorbing alkaline minerals such as calcium from the bone structure. Thus, numerous studies, including those published in the Aug. 22, 1984 Medical Tribune and the March 1983 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, have found that vegetarians have much stronger bones than meat-eaters. Indeed, the Journal of Clinical Nutrition article found that by age 65, meat-eaters had five to six times as much measurable bone loss as vegetarians."


Here's the link if you want to read more about it. http://josquin.tripod.com/milk.htm

This to me seems to be more an argument for vegetarianism than veganism? Am I reading it wrong?

Stumbleine

Just since I've been keeping a food diary my cheese intake has decreased significantly because of how many calories it packs. I used to love a lot of cheese too, but I keep it to a minimum so I don't blow all my calories and it's really not that hard now.

ashcoy

....someone didn't get enough hugs as a child. pity.

1234lbsgone

Back on topic, the fat, calcium and protein in cheese have all been proven to aid weight loss.
There's evidence to suggest dairy causes auto immune diseases, but no proof. The fact that some modern adults are now able to eat dairy without becoming sick is an example of recent evolution in homo sapiens.

Out of curiosity, and not to get involved in the debate, what proof is there that cheese helps you lose weight?

I recall the Dairy Council marketing that made claims that 3 servings of dairy helps you lose weight. However, those ads were pulled, claims redacted, and the Council was sued because those studies were flawed and the Dairy Council funded them. Unfortunately, we all still have that hourglass etched in our brains. Marketing at it's best, I suppose.

If there are other studies, NOT funded by the Dairy Council, please do tell.

Also, I'm not so sure about your information about evolution. It is one of the top allergens and many parts of the world, especially the African-American population, are unable to process milk. If we adapt to utilizing a food source, it does not me we have evolved. Homo Sapiens have not evolved since the dawn of agriculture. Per my anthropology prof and textbook, Anthropology: The Human Challenge by William A. Haviland, Harald E. L. Prins, Dana Walrath and Bunny McBride (Mar 5, 2010)

MsEmmy

It's not that people are 'unable to process milk' it's the treatment we give to milk which makes it more undigestable - see my post above about homogenising. This intolerance of milk is a recent thing. As I also said above, I'm not a fan of the dairy industry but too many people are saying dairy is 'bad' for you.