Cheese Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits

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1 Cheese Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
2 What is Cheese?

Cheese Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

What is Cheese?

Cheese is a high calorie dairy product which was first made in the Middle East in 7000 B.C. It was made by coagulating the milk protein (casein) with the help of lactic acid produced by lactic acid bacteria, with or without the addition of an enzyme rennin.

The strange thing is this enzyme is naturally found in the calf stomach. Then coagulated casein is collected for further processing which may include ripening of cheese.

It is very common in dairy-rich countries including Europe, New Zealand & U.S etc. Many varieties of cheeses are being made worldwide. In US, the total production of different varieties of cheese in 1982 was about 2 billion Kg, which was increase to 2.4 billion kg in 1987.

Nutrition Facts of Cheese:

There is different variety of cheeses made worldwide which probably use more than 20% of the total milk produced. Every cheese has its own nutritional facts due to the difference of starter culture & few significant secondary floras.

Nutrient content in one slice(28g) of Swiss cheese, information provided by the USDA
Nutrients	Per gram
Calories	106
Fat	7.8
Carbohydrate	1.5
Protein	7.5
Sodium	54mg
Fibers	0
Sugar	0.4

Swiss cheese has less sodium levels than other cheeses

Nutrient content in one ounce of Brie cheese
Calories	100
Carb	1g
Fat	9g
Protein	5g
Calcium	150mg
Sodium	170mg

Nutrient content in one ounce of Cheddar cheese
Calories	120
Carb	1g
Fat	10g
Protein	7g
Calcium	200mg
Sodium	190mg

Nutrient content in one ounce of Feta cheese
Calories	60
Carb	1g
Fat	4g
Protein	5g
Calcium	60mg
Sodium	360mg

Nutrient content in one ounce of Gouda cheese
Calories	110
Carb	1g
Fat	9g
Protein	7g
Calcium	200mg
Sodium	200mg

Nutrient content in one ounce of Mozzarella cheese
Carb	1g
Fat	6g
Protein	6g
Calcium	143mg
Sodium	138mg

It has various health benefits. There are 11 exciting health benefits of cheese discussed below:

Lowers Blood Pressure:

As cheese is not good for heart health because it is rich in saturated fats. But in other aspects, it may be healthy because it lowered the risk of CVD diseases. Cheese is present in moderate portions in Mediterranean diet. Dash organization proves that cheese is also the best diet for hypertensive patient by including in their diet, as it lowers the blood pressure.

Prevent Osteoporosis:

Inadequate amount of calcium and vitamin D in our bones can cause Osteoporosis in children as well as in other age groups. About 80% of US women from 10 million populations are suffering from this disease. It is also the major risk of causing fractures. Every year about 1.5 million people suffer from fracture.

Good for Dental health:

In 2015, Danish studies reveal that children who consumed dairy from up to moderate levels for 3 years were cavity-free after 3 years. But those children who consumes dairy below moderate levels were not cavity free. It is not linked with your teeth-brushing but cheese can get rid of cavities.

Anti Inflammatory:

Research shows that some cheeses possess some anti-inflammatory properties due to the presence of small amount of CLA in them. These cheeses include high fat cheeses such as Blue cheese, Brie cheese & Cheddar cheese.

Aids in strengthening the immune system:

Some cheeses (e.g. Gouda) aids in strengthening the immune system by increasing the amount of probiotics in gut. Fewer amounts of probiotics in gut may cause immunoesenescence in elder ones, which increase the risk of developing cancer and infectious diseases.

Healthy for Pregnant women:

Cheese contains some essential nutrients which is necessary of fetal health & development. It also contains calcium which reduces the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women. Many research studies reveals that calcium intake of 1500-2000 mg/day highly reduces the risk of getting preeclampsia.

Keeps Muscle healthy:

Cheese also contains proteins & fats which are the vital components in building muscle. So cheese efficiently helps in building muscle. For athletes, cottage cheese is the best option to consume as it is cheap & it provides 13g of protein, 5g of fat, and 4g of carbs in 4 ounces. The high quality proteins casein & whey aids in post-workout recovery & keeps their muscles lean and strong.

Best diet for Thyroid patient:

Hard cheese contains Selenium which regulates thyroid functions through balancing the thyroid hormone production in moderate levels. Too much production of this hormone causes hypothyroidism & hyperthyroidism. The hard cheeses include cheddar, a rich source of selenium, providing over 50% of the recommended intake in a 100g serving. More than 30 Million American suffers from thyroid and over ½ of them are undiagnosed.

Prevents from Cancer:

A research report claims that consuming at least 2 ounces cheese a day reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in women. Some cheese may link with prostate cancer and ovarian cancer.

Rich in some essential nutrients:

Cheese contains CLA’s, calcium, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin K2.

Our body is not capable to produce new calcium. We loss calcium everyday through our dead skin cells, nails, hairs & excreta. So calcium is very necessary to perform vital functions in our body such as regulate nerve transmission, hormone secretion, muscular & vascular function. 9 out of 10 women and 6 out of 10 women are calcium deficient.

Do u know about Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)?

It’s an essential fatty acid which possesses anti-cancer, weight reducing, heart protective characteristics.

Protein keeps our hairs healthy, regulates the fluid balance & gives strength to our immune system. High content of protein is found in Parmesan Cheese, contains 10g of protein per ounce.

Vitamin B12 plays a major role in maintaining our brain health, helps in the production of RBC’s, protein & DNA. Among all cheese, Swiss cheese provides 0.95mcg/ounce but other cheeses like cheddar & cottage also fulfill about 10% of its requirement.

Vitamin K aids in blood clotting .It also aids in depositing vitamins & minerals to bone, skin and teeth. It keeps our memory strong, also reduces the risk of dementia, and possibly treats WBC’s cancer (Leukemia). Hard cheeses like Gouda & brie provides about 75mcg/ounce but soft cheese do not provide much vitamin.

Brie (1 Ounce)

Gouda (1 Ounce)

Cheddar (1 Ounce)

Mozzarella (1 Ounce)

Feta (1 Ounce)

Swiss (1 Ounce)

Adverse effects on health:

Despite of its healthy benefits, cheese also has adverse effects on health such as:

Cholesterol:

As cheese is rich in saturated fats, so it excessive intake can cause heart diseases. New research reveals that there is a little bit influence on heart health of saturated fats.

Constipation:

Cheese contains all nutrients except fiber. So, consuming it in high amounts may cause constipation.

High Blood pressure issues:

Some cheeses loaded with too much sodium which might not be easily consumed by high blood pressure patients. Because consuming this type of cheeses may increase their blood pressure levels.

Indigestible for some people:

Some people find difficulty in consuming milk because they either are lactose intolerant & milk allergic. But they can consume low-lactose cheeses such as parmesan & particularly aged cheeses (Gouda & Swiss cheese).

Lactose intolerant patient lacks lactase enzyme which breakdown lactose and milk allergic patient are allergic to the protein casein which is abundant in milk.

Conclusion:

As we know that, cheese is a high calorie food, which is very good for our health. In the meantime it also has adverse effects on health due to high levels of saturated fats in it. So it must be consume in recommended amount.