14 Jun 2019
When it comes to health, most cheeses tend to have
a bad reputation. Those who are obsessive weight watchers have a special phobia
of all cheese types. As most people believe that consuming any
cheese can raise blood cholesterol and also result in gaining weight, there’s
no alternative but to consider it as an evil food that is best avoided.
On the contrary, not all cheese types deserve such
aversion and dislike. Low fat cheese has fewer calories but is rich
in calcium and protein. In fact, it can even assist in some weight loss by
being a healthy addition to your diet.
Say Cheese to the Right Cheese
There is a range of healthy cheese
types that can act as a catalyst to your weight loss goals. All you need to
know is the right sort that will complement your diet. There are multiple
varieties of cheese in the market. Therefore, finding which ones will work best
for you can be a little tricky and challenging.
However, you can start by excluding any processed
cheese from your daily meals. That is the only variety that is indeed unhealthy
as all processed cheese has excessive salt, vegetable oils along with food
colouring and sugar. Artificial flavouring and preservatives that are put in
processed cheese to extend its shelf life are extremely harmful.
Your Healthy Cheese Options
It is best to stick to organic or unprocessed
cheese types as a part of your overall diet plan. Here are some options that
can help in your weight loss diet.
1. Mozzarella
Cheese: A very popular variety of cheese globally, this
Italian cheese is mostly used in pizzas and pasta. A type of stringy and
stretchy cheese, it is made from cow, buffalo, sheep or goat milk. As per USDA
data, organic mozzarella cheese has a low sodium content and comprises of only
280 calories per 100 grams, thus, a perfect weight loss aide. However, ensure
that you stay away from any packaged, processed version.
Feta Cheese: Made from goat or sheep milk, this traditional Greek variety crumbles as
it is added to salads, sandwiches or pies. The taste is salty, tangy or mildly
sour. USFA data states that feta healthy cheese contains 264
calories and 14 grams of protein per 100 grams of cheese.
Cottage Cheese:
Made out of fresh curd, cottage cheese is one of
the healthiest varieties with a crumbly texture and a very mild milky flavour.
Containing only 98 calories per 100 grams of cheese, it is a top choice amongst
diet lovers.
Ricotta Cheese:
Another product of Italy, the ricotta cheese is
made from the milk of the Italian water buffalo and whey protein. It contains
only 174 calories and 11 grams of protein per 100 grams of cheese if the
ricotta has been prepared from whole milk. The cheese is a perfect addition to
traditional Italian desserts, for example, cheesecakes and cannoli. For diet
watchers, it is recommended to keep the sugar quotient and fattening agents
when preparing the ricotta cheese at home.
5. Parmesan
Cheese: With a strong taste, parmesan cheese is one of the
popular choices amongst dieters. To get that salty, nutty taste, all you need
to do is to sprinkle little quantities of Parmesan over your meal. The cheese
is an ideal complement with a bowl of salad or soup and gives it that tiny bit
of kick. A tablespoon of parmesan contains just 21 calories and has less than
1.5 grams of fat and 90 milligrams of sodium, that makes is a perfectly
balanced cheese option for the diet lovers.
Cheese Types to Avoid
It is clear that organic and unprocessed cheese can
really work their magic for those who are on a diet. However, certain cheese
types should definitely be off the menu. For example, blue cheese contains
approximately 8 grams of fat for every 100 grams of one-ounce serving. With 103
calories and around 9 grams of fat per ounce, goat cheese is also best dodged.
There is 10 grams of fat and 99 calories per ounce serving in cream cheese
which makes it a top contender for the cheese to avoid for dieters.
Speciality cheese such as Gruyere should be a ‘no –
no’ as it has 117 calories and a little over 9 grams of fat per ounce of serve.
Fontina, another speciality cheese contains 110 calories and around 9 grams of
fat per one-ounce serving, which also makes a type that dieters should not indulge
in at all.
The majority of cheese varieties have a high
content of saturated fat. Too much consumption of any cheese over a significant
time frame may possibly lead to poor cardiac health. Small portions are
recommended. Crumbling healthy cheese over your meals will certainly not be a
disruption to reaching your weight loss goals.
IICA, New Delhi
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