Including Cheese in Your Healthy Diet
It’s no mystery that Americans like cheese—it’s everywhere in a typical Western diet, from sandwiches and burgers to salads and casseroles. Nowadays, it’s even easier to grab cheese as a quick snack, since food manufacturers have packaged single-serving cheeses for increased consumer convenience.
Cheese is a nutritious food, but some types are loaded with sodium and saturated fat, so it’s important to turn a discerning eye on the dairy case when choosing cheese that will fit into a healthy eating pattern.
Nutrients in Cheese
Cheese is a good source of protein and calcium. Your body requires protein for maintaining strong muscles and bones. Protein can be especially beneficial at snack time, since it’s the nutrient that’s best at providing a sense of fullness—and foods that keep your hunger in check may help you maintain a healthy weight. Calcium is a key nutrient needed for healthy bones. Cheese also contains several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B2 and B12, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Fat and Sodium Facts
Cheese is considered a “nutrient-dense” food, since it provides many nutrients in a small package. However, cheese is also a concentrated source of saturated fat and calories.
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting your daily saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of your calories—that’s just 18 grams a day if you’re consuming about 1,800 total calories in a day. Many types of cheese provide 6 or 7 grams of saturated fat in just one ounce, so it’s important to choose your cheese carefully. Selecting reduced-fat cheeses can help you limit your saturated fat intake.
Many cheeses are also high in sodium; some cheeses contain 400 milligrams (mg) or more of sodium in just one serving. Health experts recommend limiting sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day, especially for people who have high blood pressure. If you consume large amounts of sodium, your body increases its fluid level in an attempt to reduce the concentration of sodium, which results in added blood volume and higher pressure in your arteries.
Skip Cheese Products
The food we commonly call “American cheese” actually cannot be labeled “cheese” because it contains less than 51 percent real cheese. For example, Kraft American singles are a “pasteurized prepared cheese product.” Other ingredients in processed cheese products may include salty preservatives, such as sodium citrate and sodium phosphate, as well as gelatin, extracts, and other substances that give American cheese its unique appearance, taste, and texture. Processed cheese is also lower in protein and calcium than minimally processed cheeses, many of which contain only milk, cultures (enzymes that ferment lactose and produce lactic acid), rennet (the enzyme that separates milk into solid curds and liquid whey), and salt.
Smart Snacking
For a balanced snack, pair protein-rich cheese with carbohydrates found in whole and minimally processed foods. A popular combination is cheese and fruit, such as apple or pear slices, grapes, peaches, cherries, or melon. Cheese also partners well with whole grains; choose crackers or pita bread that lists a whole grain, such as whole wheat, first on the ingredients list.
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