3 Types of Healthier Cheeses to Include in Your Diet
Experts consider dairy products beneficial for health. Even so, many people cut them out from their diet, due to their possible association with inflammation. However, said associated hasn’t yet been proven. In this article, we’ll talk to you about three types of healthier cheeses that you should include in your diet.
One of the keys to a balanced and healthy diet is variety. In this regard, it’s important to include products from almost all food groups on a weekly basis. This is the only way to ensure proper nutrient supply.
Cheese, a healthy food
As we discussed above, experts consider dairy products healthy. Fermented dairy products are the best options. This is because they contain probiotic bacteria, which are capable of boosting microbiota diversity.
Nevertheless, the rest of the foods in this group also produce positive body functioning effects. In general, they stand out for their calcium concentration, as a study published in Food & Nutrition Research states. The experts of this study recommend the consumption of these types of products for complex disease prevention.
Cheese is part of this group. As for this food, you can find many different types on the market. Thus, it’s key to identify the most nutrient-dense ones.
3 types of healthier cheeses
Below, we’ll tell you all about three types of healthier cheeses, so that you can prioritize their consumption.
Parmesan cheese
It’s also one of the most popular ones, thanks to the influence of Italian cuisine. It’s made from cow milk and needs to be matured for over a year.
Parmesan cheese doesn’t contain a lot of lactose, which is very helpful for those who suffer from sugar absorption disorders. Likewise, its protein content stands out, as it contains 35 grams of protein per 100 grams.
Finally, we should mention all the minerals Parmesan cheese contains. It obviously contains calcium, but also iron and phosphorus.
Feta cheese, one of the healthier cheeses
Feta cheese is a traditional Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk as a base ingredient. However, it can also contain a certain amount of goat’s milk. Despite its acid taste, we should mention that it contains a lot of salt. Thus, people who suffer from heart disease should be very careful with it.
Unlike other cheeses, feta is lower in calories and is easier to digest due to its low lactose concentration. It’s worth mentioning that, according to a study published in Nutrients, this sugar can be problematic for those with lactose intolerance. The good news is that probiotic treatments could help reduce the symptoms of this condition.
Mozzarella cheese
Mozzarella is usually made from buffalo milk. However, other varieties come from cow or sheep’s milk. Although this type of cheese is low in sodium, it contains more fats than the two options we just mentioned above.
Its protein content is also significant. Thus, it’s an optimal food for people or athletes whose goal is to build muscle mass.
Include the healthiest types of cheeses in your diet
The goal of this article was to help you understand that not all cheeses are made equal. Nevertheless, most of them can be included in a healthy diet, as they have beneficial properties. Some people have to be careful with their consumption in certain situations.
This is mainly the case of pregnant women, who should avoid eating unpasteurized cheeses. This is because they pose a microbiological risk that could endanger the fetus’ health.
As cheese is considered a healthy food, experts advise people to consider including some types in your diet.
3 tipos de quesos más saludables para incluir en la dieta – Mejor con Salud (as.com)
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Thorning TK, Raben A, Tholstrup T, Soedamah-Muthu SS, Givens I, Astrup A. Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence. Food Nutr Res. 2016 Nov 22;60:32527. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v60.32527. PMID: 27882862; PMCID: PMC5122229.
- Szilagyi A, Ishayek N. Lactose Intolerance, Dairy Avoidance, and Treatment Options. Nutrients. 2018 Dec 15;10(12):1994. doi: 10.3390/nu10121994. PMID: 30558337; PMCID: PMC6316316.
