The Washington Post - 05.09.2019

the washington post

.

thursday, september

5

,

2019

DC

10

BY JENNA BIRCH

Americans love cheese.

While U.S. dairy milk consump-

tion has fallen, cheese consump-

tion keeps increasing year over

year. According to an Agriculture

Department report from 2018, per

capita cheese consumption in-

creased to a record 37.23 pounds.

If you’re a die-hard cheese fan,

you’re probably consuming your

mozzarella and ricotta (Italian

cheeses are now the most popular

in t he United S tates) with a side of

guilt. After all, cheese has long

gotten a bad r ap because o f its high

saturated fat content, which is

considered bad for h eart health.

Research is starting to suggest,

however, that the issue may be

more complex. One study pub-

lished in 2018 showed dairy fats

such as cheese had a neutral-to-pos-

itive effect on the heart. A 2018 re-

view from Harvard researchers

concluded there was a “null or weak

inverse association between con-

sumption of dairy products and

risk of cardiovascular disease,”

though it said more research was

needed. A study from the Lancet

medical journal found dairy prod-

ucts such a s cheese were l inked to a

lower mortality risk.

According to Jennifer Glockner,

a registered dietitian and creator

of the Smartee Plate, recent stud-

ies have indicated “that cheese

may actually offer protective

properties on the heart,” though

she also noted that they were ob-

servational and did not prove

cause and effect. Cheese does pro-

vide some beneficial nutrients,

she s ays, “ including protein; c alci-

um for bone and teeth health;

zinc, which promotes wound-

healing and immunity; vitamin A

for eye and s kin health, and B12.”

None of this means you should

start consuming cheese indis-

criminately; take care when add-

ing it to your diet. Which cheeses

are most healthful? It c an be tough

to offer hard-and-fast guidelines

because each variety has its own

nutritional profile, and cheeses

can be broken up into categories

in myriad ways, whether you

group them by milk s ource or pro-

duction style. With the help of

experts, we’ve come up with gen-

eral guidelines to consider when

making c heese part of y our d iet.

Ranking by healthfulness

Fresh cheese. If you’re looking

for the leanest option, your best

bet is fresh cheese. Such unrip-

ened cheeses include goat cheese,

feta, ricotta and cottage cheese.

“These cheeses are produced by

the coagulation o f milk a nd cream

by chemical or culture acidifica-

tion, or a combination o f chemical

acidification and high heat treat-

ment,” s ays Nicole Magryta, a reg-

istered dietitian and author

of “ Nourish Your Tribe: Empower-

ing Parents to Grow Strong,

Smart, Successful Kids.” “They

also tend to be lowest in fats and

cholesterol.”

A serving of cottage cheese or

ricotta will pack a healthy dose of

protein, and typically be lower in

calories; half a cup of cottage

cheese is roughly 110 calories.

Ricotta is higher in calories —

about 180 calories for h alf a cup —

but is loaded with calcium. “While

high in sodium, feta tends to be

one of the lowest in calories. Plus,

with its strong flavor, you often

use less of it than other cheeses,”

says Kelli McGrane, a registered

dietitian with the weight-loss app

Lose It! “Goat cheese is milder in

flavor than feta, but also tends to

be lower in calories as well as fat.”

Depending on how it’s processed,

goat cheese can also pack probiot-

ics, which are microorganisms

that can aid digestion.

Fresh mozzarella, “tends to be

one of the lowest in calories and

sodium,” McGrane says. “A ddition-

ally, fresh mozzarella contains Lac-

tobacillus casei and Lactobacillus

fermentum, two probiotic strains

that are beneficial for gut health.”

Harder cheeses. Hard, fer-

mented cheeses have been aged

longer than soft cheese, lending a

richer flavor and increasing shelf

life. They i nclude varieties such as

cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan and

tend to be good sources of impor-

tant vitamins and minerals such

as calcium and vitamin A. They

also have a modest amount of fat,

according to Glockner. “Hard

cheeses such as cheddar and Par-

mesan usually have more calcium

and less lactose, since the whey is

removed during processing,” she

explains. That s aid, though t here’s

less f at t han there is i n soft cheese,

there’s m ore sodium.

I f you h ave lactose s ensitivity or

suffer from irritable bowel syn-

drome, hard cheeses such as Par-

mesan will probably be better for

reducing y our gut symptoms. Sha-

ron Collison, a registered dietitian

and clinical instructor in nutrition

at t he University of Delaware, says

you may end up only wanting a

little bit of this variety. “These

cheeses are very low in moisture,

which increases their shelf life,”

Collison says. “They are generally

served grated and can be healthy

choices because they have such

intense flavor that small portions

are usually enough.”

Blue cheese. Blue cheese,

which has been ripened with cul-

tures of the mold penicillium, in-

cludes varieties such as Stilton

and Gorgonzola. It can be consid-

ered soft or hard, depending on

how it’s p rocessed, and f alls some-

where in the middle of the pack in

terms of health. “ It’s high in calo-

ries, t otal and saturated fat, yet it is

also o ne of t he h ighest in c alcium,”

McGrane says. Again, its potent

flavor profile may mean you’re

satisfied with less of it.

Softer cheeses. Bloomy, mold-

ripened varieties o f cheese t end to

have a firm rind and creamy in-

terior, as they ripen from the out-

side in. Although extremely tasty

on that cheese plate, soft cheeses

such as Camembert, brie and tri-

ple-crème (cheese enriched with

cream) fall into the “less healthy”

category because of their saturat-

ed fat content. “A key thing to

remember is that the softer the

cheese, the higher the fat,” says

Emily Tills, a dietitian and nutri-

tion coach. “Fat makes things

creamier.” It’s also very easy to

overeat a gooey brie slathered o n a

slice of bread with a sweet jam.

Processed cheeses. I n the camp

of cheeses better avoided com-

pl etely, you can toss out the pro-

cessed types, such as American

cheese singles, Velveeta, s pray c an

varieties or shredded cheeses in

plastic bags. “These products

shouldn’t even be considered real

cheese, a s they h ave been manipu-

lated a nd e ngineered a nd p umped

with preservatives,” Magryta says.

“Sweetened cottage cheeses

should also b e avoided; labels that

read ‘fruit flavored’ mislead con-

sumers when, in truth, the prod-

uct is just cheese with sugar, addi-

tives and preservatives.”

Other factors to consider

If eaten in moderation, “quality

cheeses can b e enjoyed a s part o f a

healthy, whole-food, plant-fo-

cused diet,” Magryta says. But

there are some factors you can

keep in mind to improve the

health of y our c heese choices.

Magryta suggests keeping por-

tion sizes s mall. “Most cheeses are

between 60 and 90 percent fat and

have between 75 and 120 calories

per ounce,” s he says. “Aim to keep

your serving size of cheese to 1.5

ounces or less of hard cheeses —

that’s about the s ize o f four dice or

a third of a cup shredded — or a

half-cup portion size of cheeses

like ricotta o r cottage cheese.”

Also, stick to just one serving a

day — and savor it. “Remember,

cheese is not a [primary] source of

protein, it is more so a source of fat

and sodium,” s ays Amy Shapiro, a

registered dietitian and founder

of Real Nutrition NYC. “People

tend t o put a health halo on it since

it doesn’t contain many carbs, but

that doesn’t make it a ‘free food.’ ”

If you really love cheese, Shapiro’s

favorite way to consume it is by

making it “the star of the show,

when it is worth it” instead of

adding it as an extra to “sandwich-

es, salads, omelets,” a nd s o on.

Expert opinions d iffer on wheth-

er turning to low-fat cheese is a

smart strategy. T hough some dieti-

tians continue to recommend low-

fat or part-skim options, recent re-

search suggests that this, too,

might be a more complex issue. A

2016 study in Circulation linked

the real deal to a lower risk of

diabetes, and another study pub-

lished the same year linked full-fat

cheese consumption with a lower

risk of obesity among women.

Magryta recommends choos-

ing full-fat or whole-milk cheese.

“When the fat is processed out of

dairy foods, you lose not only the

flavor but the f ood’s n atural ability

to keep you full,” s he says. “Whole-

fat cheese also helps to balance

blood sugars, which may have to

do with its high amounts of vita-

min K, vitamin D and calcium.”

Furthermore, low-fat cheese can

be “a highly processed food.” Look

at the ingredients. Unhealthy ad-

ditions include “acids, emulsifiers,

thickeners, stabilizers, gums and

other nondairy ingredients to

make up for the lost fat.” You

should be wary if the ingredient

list on the cheese feels long.

As long as you’re consuming

cheeses in moderation as part of a

diet rich in whole foods, Magryta

believes the higher amount of sat-

urated fat shouldn’t be an issue.

“The healthiest cheese depends

first on its quality,” she says.

“Cheeses that are unprocessed,

raw, full-fat, grass-fed and certi-

fied organic, if possible, are the

best. Fermented [or cultured]

cheese products are also excellent

choices. You don’t always have to

have all of these characteristics,

but shoot f or a s many as you can.”

For specific health needs

The dietitians we talked to rec-

ommended these cheeses to ad-

dress specific health concerns.

To reduce sodium: Swiss, goat,

Emmental, or Wensleydale

To boost calcium: Manchego,

Emmental, Parmesan, Romano,

Gruyere, or Swiss

To increase protein: cottage

cheese, r icotta, Romano o r Parme-

san

To boost gut health: Raw, un-

pasteurized cheddar, feta, Gouda,

Edam, caciocavallo, Emmental, o r

Gruyere

To cope with lactose sensitivi-

ty: hard cheeses such as cheddar,

Parmesan, Swiss, asiago, man-

chego and Pecorino R omano

To be safe during pregnancy:

pasteurized cheeses.

[email protected]

Jenna Birch is a journalist, dating

coach and the author of “The Love

Gap: A Radical Plan to Win in Life and

Love.”

NUTRITION

From feta to Velveeta: A cheese guide based on healthfulness

Wellness

Healthiest to least healthy

KIND OF CHEESE VARIETIES

Fresh

Feta, goat, cottage cheese, ricotta,

farmer’s

Hard

Cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss, asiago,

manchego, and Pecorino Romano

Blue

Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort, Bleu

d’Auvergne

Soft/creamy

Brie, Camembert, triple-creme

varieties, queso blanco, Neufchâtel

Processed

Velveeta, Kraft singles, bagged

shredded cheese