The Best & Worst Cheeses for Your Health (from Eat this - Not That!)

You know what stinks? It's not the Limburger, the poisse, or the
Taleggio. No-it's the fact that a lot of people assume cheese doesn't
deserve a place in a healthy diet.

Well, we're here to tell you those people are wrong! The assumption
stems from the (admittedly correct) belief that many kinds of cheese
pack in a lot of calories and fat in just a couple of bites, so those
looking to lose weight certainly have to be wary of portion sizes. That
being said, when this dairy product is made with simple ingredients, is
relatively unprocessed and naturally preserved, and is full of a variety
of nutrients, it can still be part of a healthy lifestyle.

In fact, cheese is actually quite nutritious: It's full of protein,
healthy fats, bone-building calcium, vitamins A and B12, and minerals
like zinc and phosphorus.

But not all cheeses are created equal. And with the thousands of
varieties of cheese, figuring out which is best can take as much skill
as a sommelier selecting a glass of wine to pair with each course of a
Michelin-starred dinner. Instead of leaving you high and dry in the
cheese section, we've consulted experts and dug through mountains of
research to uncover which cheeses are best for your bod.

NOTE: Although many people have avoided cheese in the past because of
its high levels of saturated fats, it's important to note that a large
meta-analysis of hundreds of studies spanning decades of research
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that
there's a lack of significant evidence connecting saturated fats to the
development of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular diseases. That
being said, fat is still a very calorie-dense macronutrient and should
still be eaten in moderation.

BEST FOR A POST-WORKOUT SNACK Eat This: Low-fat mozzarella (7-8 grams of
protein per 1 oz) or low-fat cottage cheese (13 grams protein per 4 oz)

Per calorie, low-fat mozzarella and cottage cheese are two of the best
high protein foods; they even beat out chicken for grams of protein per
calorie! After an iron-pumping workout, you want to eat a snack that's
full of energy-restoring carbs as well as muscle-building protein. These
two cheeses are high in protein and are versatile enough to pair with
other foods. Try cottage cheese on top of rye bread and avocado or
mozzarella with a slice of tomato and basil!

BEST FOR BOOSTING IMMUNITY Eat This: Swiss (Emmenthal) cheese

Zinc is an essential mineral that's involved in countless roles in our
body, from metabolism to wound healing. One important role it plays is
in regulating your immune system. In fact, a recent study conducted by
Ohio State University researchers found that the mineral can effectively
mute the severity of a cold if taken once you begin to feel your nose
go. Swiss cheese earns a stop in the top 15 foods for providing zinc,
ringing in with 1.2 mg (or 8 percent of your daily recommended intake)
per 1 ounce serving. Besides munching on some Swiss, you can also stock
up on these 13 Foods to Eat When You're Sick if you feel a cold coming
on.

BEST FOR THOSE WATCHING THEIR WEIGHT Eat This: Goat's milk cheese, such
as Greek feta or goat cheese

Not That!: Triple-Cr‚me Brie

Nutrition might not be the first thing on your mind when you're picking
out a cheese, but even if cheese seems like an indulgence, it actually
isn't that bad for you-especially if you pick a goat cheese. Compared to
other cheeses-like 75-percent fat triple-crŠme brie, which has over 130
calories per ounce-tangy goat cheese only has 75 calories per ounce.
Besides allowing you to indulge without exceeding your tight calorie
budget, goat milk is nutritionally stellar in another way: According to
research published in the Journal of Dairy Science, goat milk increases
one's absorption of iron as well as improves bone formation and the
bioavailability of certain minerals more effectively than cow's milk.

BEST FOR VEGETARIANS - Eat This: Swiss

Cheese is one of the top dietary sources of vitamin B12-a vitamin that
many vegetarians are deficient in as it's only found in animal products.
This water-soluble vitamin plays an important role in energy metabolism,
maintaining the nervous system, and formation of blood cells. Swiss
cheese provides the most vitamin B12 out of all cheeses with 14 percent
of your recommended daily intake in just 1 ounce.

BEST FOR THE LACTOSE INTOLERANT - Eat This: Aged, Sheep's milk cheeses
like Manchego (pictured above), Roquefort, and Pecorino Romano (pecorino
means "little sheep" in Italian), or goat's milk cheeses

Not That!: Ricotta, Colby, and American (which all have up to 5 percent
lactose)

For 65% of the world's adult population, eating certain cheeses can be
accompanied by nausea, cramps, and even vomiting. That's because these
people have difficulty digesting lactose, the naturally occurring sugar
present in milk that also is found to a lesser degree in most dairy
products. The simple act of aging cheese can help with this issue, as
the longer a cheese ages, the more time the added bacteria has to
convert lactose into lactic acid. Additionally, aged cheese has less
moisture and are drained more than fresher cheeses, meaning more lactose
will be separated out with the whey.

Many also experience intestinal discomfort from cow's milk because its
proteins are very large. Simply choosing a goat's milk or sheep's milk
cheese can fix this because their smaller proteins are more easily
digestible.


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