Healthy cheese?

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  • fitacct
    fitacct Posts: 238 Member
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    Boar's Head has a great no-salt-added natural Swiss cheese, 25% lower-sodium and lower-fat American cheese, and 42% lower-sodium Provolone, and low-sodium Muenster. I've had the Swiss and Provolone...both are really good.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Do you mean "healthy" as in contains nutritional benefits, or "low-calorie"? Because you can get lower calorie cheese, but be aware that low-calorie foods are just more processed versions of the "real" thing.

    THIS! Some of the least "healthy" foods out there are the low-calorie meals like Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc. It's healthier to eat cleaner-- food that are closest to their natural state. The more processing a food goes through the more sodium, fat, and sugars they add to it.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
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    Cheese, like most things, is healthy depending on how you look at it. Processed cheese, filled with carageenan and gums, are not the way to go in "most" cases, though it makes it lower in fat because it is filled with other things than cheese.

    NOTE: I'm a cheese purist, so if there is anything more than milk, salt, rennet (veg, microbial or acid), whey and perhaps some flavorings like fresh herbs, I tend to steer clear.
    That said, I do indulge in the lower fat Laughing Cow wedges from time to time. The cream cheese on apples is LOVELY.

    You can make your own lower-calorie cheese spreads by taking a very strong cheese that you enjoy. Here is my recipe for a snack:
    - 1 to 2 TBSP shredded pepper jack, sharp cheddar or very aged gouda's (my personal favs)\
    - 2 to 4 TBSP of Neufchatel or Cream Cheese. You can also mix Greek yogurt and Ricotta, but the texture will change.
    - Instructions: Put the mixture in the microwave for about 10 seconds (enough to heat them) and mix. This blends the flavors. If you want it eat it as dip, get it hot but not bubbly, or you'll get separation of the oil.

    Make it as strong as you like, but keep a watch on how much natural cheese you put in. 1 oz of real cheese hovers around 100 calories (I've seen from 90 - 110).

    Light Alouette has some decent flavors and not too many calories, but look for fillers. The brand is great for straight-forward products, so you are usually safe. Store brands can be touchy and salt is a big one to watch out for. Sometimes you trade calories and protein for salt or sugars, which don't do you any good anyway.

    No matter what, cheese is a healthy snack IN MODERATION. If you want the real deal, stick to about 1 oz for your snack size. I'm disputing the idea that white cheese is healthier than yellow. It is not. Cheese is cheese. Yellow cheese just has annatto or coloring to make it yellow, and often aging will slightly color the cheese to a carmel note.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
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    Totally agree! I forgot about goat cheese! I posted earlier, but mainly referring to cows milk cheeses. Goat cheese is fantastic and creamy. Even the aged varities are great and tend to be a little lighter. I LOVE bits of goat cheese on my home made ratatoullie! it adds a lovely little *something* to it.
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
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    Neufchatel is a lower calorie subsitute for cream cheese.

    Generally, the drier the cheese, the less calories it has. You can make your own cheese by putting yogurt into cheesecloth and letting the liquid drip out.

    Some people use Greek yogurt or icelandic yogurt in their 'cheese' spreads.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    As a rule, I try to stick with naturally aged cheeses. Many "spreadable" cheeses are made that way by adding chemicals or other unknown agents. Read the labels. If there's a list a mile long with unfamiliar ingredients, I'd pass. Most "hard" cheeses (cheddar, monterey jack, grated cheeses, swiss, bleu, etc.) are a safe bet.
  • classycouture
    classycouture Posts: 888 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE cheese. All kinds of cheese.

    I had found this "awareness" ad a few months ago and was absolutely appalled.

    cheese-ads-article.jpg

    I can't stress it enough: moderation. Moderation. MODERATION! Cheese is a great source of protein, just don't eat an entire wheel of it every day. :laugh:
  • serhanilker
    serhanilker Posts: 15
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    DON'T CUT THE CHEESE - If you're laboring under the myth that milk, cheese and other dairy foods are unhealthy, YOU'RE WRONG - DEAD WRONG!

    Dairy foods are packed with calcium, which boots metabolism. Unfortunatelly, most people don't consume the recommended daily amounts.

    So add milk, yogurt, and cheese back into your life.

    Bonus benefit: research shows that consuming calcium through dairy foods may also reduce fat absorption from other foods.

    Cheers
    S
  • illiquod
    illiquod Posts: 23
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    I simply can't have cheese in the house anymore other than the Laughing Cow. I like cheese too much. Cheese is the reason I weigh so much. Why? Because when I drink wine, I eat cheese. I drink a lot of wine, so I ate a lot of cheese. I could eat a whole block a Jarlsberg cheese a night if no one took it away from me. So... I had to give up most cheese.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Cheese, like most things, is healthy depending on how you look at it. Processed cheese, filled with carageenan and gums, are not the way to go in "most" cases, though it makes it lower in fat because it is filled with other things than cheese.

    NOTE: I'm a cheese purist, so if there is anything more than milk, salt, rennet (veg, microbial or acid), whey and perhaps some flavorings like fresh herbs, I tend to steer clear.
    That said, I do indulge in the lower fat Laughing Cow wedges from time to time. The cream cheese on apples is LOVELY.

    You can make your own lower-calorie cheese spreads by taking a very strong cheese that you enjoy. Here is my recipe for a snack:
    - 1 to 2 TBSP shredded pepper jack, sharp cheddar or very aged gouda's (my personal favs)\
    - 2 to 4 TBSP of Neufchatel or Cream Cheese. You can also mix Greek yogurt and Ricotta, but the texture will change.
    - Instructions: Put the mixture in the microwave for about 10 seconds (enough to heat them) and mix. This blends the flavors. If you want it eat it as dip, get it hot but not bubbly, or you'll get separation of the oil.

    Make it as strong as you like, but keep a watch on how much natural cheese you put in. 1 oz of real cheese hovers around 100 calories (I've seen from 90 - 110).

    Light Alouette has some decent flavors and not too many calories, but look for fillers. The brand is great for straight-forward products, so you are usually safe. Store brands can be touchy and salt is a big one to watch out for. Sometimes you trade calories and protein for salt or sugars, which don't do you any good anyway.

    No matter what, cheese is a healthy snack IN MODERATION. If you want the real deal, stick to about 1 oz for your snack size. I'm disputing the idea that white cheese is healthier than yellow. It is not. Cheese is cheese. Yellow cheese just has annatto or coloring to make it yellow, and often aging will slightly color the cheese to a carmel note.

    I think I love you! I am definitely going to try this!
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    DON'T CUT THE CHEESE -

    We will all appreciate the fresher air. :wink:
  • imogenjade
    imogenjade Posts: 131
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    thumb sized chedder
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I don't think of cheese as healthy or unhealthy, cheese is glorious and I eat some every day I just limit how much. We buy blocks of cheese and grate it to control portions. When grated I usually use .5 oz of cheese, but when sliced I usually use 1 ounce.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    For the past few months I've been increasing the amount of cheese I eat - and other dairy too. I realised that the only dairy I really consumed was milk in coffee and that ain't enough to get your daily calcium levels.

    Moderation is everything, light Babybels make a great nibble, I LOVE light cream cheese on wholemeal toast with Marmite, tomaotes and cucumber for breakfast, but one of my very favourite ways is just a little WEIGHED portion with some grapes as a dessert after a meal (occasionally a small glass of port to help it on its way, hic :drinker: )

    I used to say I didn't like cheese unless it was melted, what I now realise is that I just don't like cheddar unless it's melted. My absolute favourite is Pave D'Affinois :love:
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
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    *blush* Thanks!! I LOVE FOOD!!!:flowerforyou:
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    *blush* Thanks!! I LOVE FOOD!!!:flowerforyou:

    AND a flower?! I may never let you go! LOL
  • sisdunbar
    sisdunbar Posts: 36 Member
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    I agree Silker! 40g is recommended daily isn't it? A good quality mature cheese is better than the low fat versions apparently too.
  • serhanilker
    serhanilker Posts: 15
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    No wonder rats look so young:)
    Don't they C? :)))
  • julie9200
    julie9200 Posts: 62 Member
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    I like to use the hard cheeses like parmigiano reggiano or asiago, as well as sharp cheddar or colby because they have strong flavors and a little goes a long way. Fresh mozzerella is really good also and you only need a small quantity. My theory is that I would much rather use a moderate amount of great-tasting cheese than a larger amount of low or no fat cheese that just doesn't have the same flavor. (With the exception of quesadillas cause I like them to be all cheesy and gooey so I make up for the extra calories in other ways when I have them)

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