Cheese is a dairy product that originated in the Middle East.Â
Cheese is one of the most loved foods in the world. It’s delicious, versatile, and has a long history of being used as a nutritious part of many different cultures. Cheese is a dairy product made from the milk of cattle, sheep, or goats. It has been an essential food for millennia and is frequently used in cooking and condiment. Cheese has also been used as a canvas for painting.
Cheese can be made soft or hard. Soft cheeses are generally meant to be eaten fresh. Hard cheeses may be eaten at any age but most commonly as a dessert cheese. In many regions of the world, people eat cheese with bread or crackers at the end of a meal or snack, in parts of America, Britain, France, and Switzerland.
But Is cheese bad for you?
According to The American Heart Association, cheese is good for you!
However, they recommend choosing lower-fat versions and eating them in moderation.
Cheese is high in saturated fat, raising cholesterol levels and increasing your risk of heart disease. It also contains many calories – one serving (1 oz) has an average of 100 calories and 9 grams of fat. And if you eat more than one serving daily, your cholesterol levels could increase even further!
But these studies do not prove that cheese causes these health issues — they simply show that people who eat more cheese are more likely to develop these conditions than those who don’t eat it much.
If you’re trying to lose weight or lower your blood cholesterol levels, eating smaller portions of any type of cheese rather than more significant portions is best. This will help keep your calories down while allowing you to enjoy this delicious food!
However, it’s not all sunshine and roses when it comes to cheese. Here are some of the pros and cons of this dairy product:
Pros
- Cheese is a good source of high-quality protein that provides essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle tissue and make hormones for growth, maintenance, and repair.
- Cheese contains calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D — nutrients necessary for strong bones and vitamin B12 for nerve function.
- Cheese has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels in some studies while increasing HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol).
- Cheese also provides vitamins A and D, which support your immune system, and vitamin B12 helps make red blood cells.
Cons
- High-fat content
Cheese does contain saturated fat, increasing your risk for heart disease if consumed in excess. However, it’s important to note that saturated fat comes from milk, not from cheese.
- High sodium content
Cheese can contain a lot of sodium from adding salt or brine during production. This can mean extra calories from sodium, leading to high blood pressure, coronary artery disease(CAD), kidney disease, and stroke (brain attack).
- Digestive discomfort
Cheese is often made from processed milk, so it may contain additives and artificial flavors, which can cause stomach upset and digestive problems.
- Allergies
Cheese contains a lot of calories per serving. Therefore overeating cheese can contribute to weight gain over time if you’re not exercising enough or following a healthy diet plan (i.e., no processed junk food).
Cheese is generally high in saturated fat and low in carbohydrates compared with other dairy products such as milk or yogurt. Overeating saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol levels, increasing your risk of heart disease. Some cheeses are also high in sodium (salt), so eat them sparingly if you watch your sodium intake.
I love very old Cheddar Cheese. We Travel about 30 mile away to the small town of Bright Ontario Canada, where about 3/4 of mile north of the main road, is Bright Cheese and Butter. They do have website and make the best cheese one can buy