Yellow Cheese vs. White Cheese

Cae_Troi
Cae_Troi Posts: 66 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So my brother told me that yellow cheese is real cheese and that it isn't processed and that it's healthy for you. I told him that it's processed because a cow doesn't produce yellow cheese. So adding the food coloring which is processed, makes the cheese more unhealthy as it's more processed.

So which do you prefer, yellow cheese or white cheese? Which one is healthier and why?

Replies

  • belle165
    belle165 Posts: 16 Member
    Cabots extra sharp cheddar, which is white. It's so tasty I can eat less
  • Sierra_419
    Sierra_419 Posts: 201 Member
    ive always heard lighter in color were the better ones.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    My friend and I were just talking about this the other day. Pretty much any cheese you purchase in a regular grocery store is processed in some way. Maybe if you go to a fancy cheese shop or farm and buy it fresh then you will be good to go.

    Edited to add: I love cheese.
  • MarkAWhipple
    MarkAWhipple Posts: 77 Member
    Is there a major difference? Much of the time, I feel that it's not worth the packed in calories, light or darker. But it is delicious...
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    All cheese is processed, it cannot be 'found in nature' like that.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    "Cheese food"
  • LayneMorris
    LayneMorris Posts: 9
    All yellow cheese is yellow because they add food coloring to it. Otherwise it is the same. Sarauk, all food is processed one way or another.
  • sofitheteacup
    sofitheteacup Posts: 396 Member
    Almost all cheese is processed in some way, shape, or form- even "natural" cheeses that start as yogurts have to take some work to get to that point.

    Anyway, I'm not sure which is healthier, per se, but lighter-colored cheeses tend to be less caloric, in my experience. But I'm sure with some of the way-fancier cheeses that are super-rich, this is not the case.
  • Lazygal53
    Lazygal53 Posts: 294 Member
    ive always heard lighter in color were the better ones.

    This ^^^
    Plus spreadable light color cheese has the least calories and is better for you. Think Laughing Cow.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    I love the label on Kraft Singles: Pasteurized processed cheese food product. Sounds so delicious, doesn't it?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    If the word "product" comes after the word "cheese" I would stay away. Just pick whatever cheese you like and fits in your macros. It's all processed to some degree.

    Sidenote: velveeta has sardines in it, so I stay away from that cheese product . Gross!

    Otherwise, I <3 cheese.
  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 557 Member
    Read the nutritional values and ingredients on the back of a package of each. They're probably pretty equal.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
    For me, white cheese doesn't affect my lactose issues like yellow... Probably not helpful here though ;)
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
    If the word "product" comes after the word "cheese" I would stay away. Just pick whatever cheese you like and fits in your macros. It's all processed to some degree.

    Sidenote: velveeta has sardines in it, so I stay away from that cheese product . Gross!

    Otherwise, I <3 cheese.

    Not that I care one way or another - I prefer my cheese real and as unprocessed as possible but where in the world did you get that there are sardines in Velveeta Cheese - here's the ingredient list with explanations

    btw - if you're talking about the differences between white and orange hard cheeses like cheddar there is no difference - one has a colour added and one doesnt - the difference in cheddar comes from how long it was aged

    Cheese makers started to add the dye to unify the colour - white cheeses have subtle differences in the colour and Im guessing that somewhere along the line people decided those subtle difffences were unpalatable or something - so they started dying it.

    In soft cheeses - not as sure - but I believe its the same

    its when you get into the plastic cheese (like velveeta and cheese slices) that the nutritional differences become huge


    Ingredients
    Regular Velveeta cheese contains milk, water, milk fat, whey, whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate. These ingredients make up the bulk of the product. Enzymes and cheese culture are included to aid in the manufacture of the cheese -- these ingredients are bacterial agents that determine the taste, texture and appearance of cheese products. Velveeta cheese contains alginate, an emulsifier found naturally in brown algae. Sodium citrate adds a tart flavor in addition to acting as a preservative and acidity regulator. Sodium phosphate functions similarly to extend the product's shelf life. Two ingredients give Velveeta cheese its distinct hue -- annatto, a yellow-orange color additive derived from the tropical achiote trees, and apocarotenal, an orange color additive derived from citrus fruits.
  • jesekelynne
    jesekelynne Posts: 42
    I love cheese yellow, white, blue and any other color out there!!!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    If the word "product" comes after the word "cheese" I would stay away. Just pick whatever cheese you like and fits in your macros. It's all processed to some degree.

    Sidenote: velveeta has sardines in it, so I stay away from that cheese product . Gross!

    Otherwise, I <3 cheese.

    Not that I care one way or another - I prefer my cheese real and as unprocessed as possible but where in the world did you get that there are sardines in Velveeta Cheese - here's the ingredient list with explanations

    btw - if you're talking about the differences between white and orange hard cheeses like cheddar there is no difference - one has a colour added and one doesnt - the difference in cheddar comes from how long it was aged

    In soft cheeses - not as sure - but I believe its the same

    its when you get into the plastic cheese (like velveeta and cheese slices) that the nutritional differences become huge


    Ingredients
    Regular Velveeta cheese contains milk, water, milk fat, whey, whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate. These ingredients make up the bulk of the product. Enzymes and cheese culture are included to aid in the manufacture of the cheese -- these ingredients are bacterial agents that determine the taste, texture and appearance of cheese products. Velveeta cheese contains alginate, an emulsifier found naturally in brown algae. Sodium citrate adds a tart flavor in addition to acting as a preservative and acidity regulator. Sodium phosphate functions similarly to extend the product's shelf life. Two ingredients give Velveeta cheese its distinct hue -- annatto, a yellow-orange color additive derived from the tropical achiote trees, and apocarotenal, an orange color additive derived from citrus fruits.

    LOL- maybe they took it out, or maybe it's the light version. I apologize if I'm wrong about this...I will look it up after I eat my dinner. I know I didn't just make this up though.

    ETA- I'm pretty sure I got my mini fishes confused, and it was anchovy paste that used to be in velveeta- though with a cursory check I can't find it anywhere. I'm fully willing to eat *kitten* for incorrectly posting this. My Bad! I was due for a proper *kitten* eating session anyway.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I don't think the yellow is necessarily always a byproduct of artificial colors. Maybe in Kraft Singles it is, but I don't think that's the case for all yellow cheeses, like cheddars.

    Just buy quality cheese, and read the ingredients. I really like gouda, havarti, provolone, and mozzarella.
  • kykykenna
    kykykenna Posts: 656 Member
    I love squeeze cheese. Not that it answers your question...but now it is stuck in my head.:wink:
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
    So my brother told me that yellow cheese is real cheese and that it isn't processed and that it's healthy for you. I told him that it's processed because a cow doesn't produce yellow cheese. So adding the food coloring which is processed, makes the cheese more unhealthy as it's more processed.

    So which do you prefer, yellow cheese or white cheese? Which one is healthier and why?

    1) If you're in America, something called "annatto" is often used to color cheese. It comes from a tropical tree. So yellow American has annatto whereas white American cheese does not. Not much of a difference in the nutritional values.

    2) If you're in another country or from another country, white cheese often refers to feta cheeses and yellow refers to cheeses like kashkava or muenster.

    3) All cheese is produced. And not all of the milk used to making cheese comes from cows. Some cheeses are made from goats milk, others from sheep's milk. The color of cheese (that has color but doesn't have annatto in it) is often determined by how the cheese is made. There are different processes that affect the color of the cheese, including the aging, curdling, and whether or not the cheese is exposed to specific types of bacteria.

    And yeah, to someone else's point, if it's followed by the word "food" then it's not really cheese. Doesn't make it any less delicious, but it doesn't make it cheese either. :)
  • meadow_lily
    meadow_lily Posts: 6
    as far as color goes - two equal cheeses, nutritionally but one yellow one white-I thought that the yellow in cheese was from annatto? which is originally a seed, I believe. but there is obviously differences in cheese no matter the color
  • mela216r
    mela216r Posts: 23
    I am a deli mgr. and have taken training in world cheeses, cheesemaking techniques,history, etc. The yellow dye in cheese comes from annatto, which is a seed that is soaked to extract the color. It is a harmless, vegetable-based coloring and is used primarily for color appeal & visual differentiation. Cheesemaking is an art & by definition a process...for some reason "process" has a negative connotation, but even pasteurization of milk is a process. If you are referring to "fake" cheese, these are generally vegetable oil-based products with cheese solids added and will be labelled as "cheese food". Why eat fake stuff when you can have the real thing. Orange, yellow, or white, real cheese is made from milk (cow, goat, or sheep). And I enjoy all kinds (but in moderation)!
  • megleo818
    megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
    Here are the answers to why cheese comes in different colors. All you gotta do is Google stuff, people!

    http://www.thekitchn.com/all-the-colors-of-the-rainbow-cheese-colors-explained-the-cheesemonger-166329
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
    Uh, all cheese is processed, no matter what the color. Cheese doesn't come out of the cow, milk does. Most milk is processed too (homogenization, vitamin D added, etc.).

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