The New Complete Book of Food
What Happens When You Cook This Food
Heat changes the structure of proteins. The molecules are denatured, which means that
they may be broken into smaller fragments or change shape or clump together. All of these
changes may force moisture out of the protein tissue, which is why overcooked cheese is
often stringy. Whey proteins, which do not clump or string at low temperatures, contain
the sulfur atoms that give hot or burned cheese an unpleasant “cooked” odor. To avoid both
strings and an unpleasant odor, add cheese to sauces at the last minute and cook just long
enough to melt the cheese.How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Freezing. All cheese loses moisture when frozen, so semisoft cheeses will freeze and thaw
better than hard cheeses, which may be crumbly when defrosted.
Drying. The less moisture cheese contains, the less able it is to support the growth of organ-
isms like mold. Dried cheeses keep significantly longer than ordinary cheeses.Medical Uses and/or Benefits
To strengthen bones and reduce age-related loss of bone density. High-calcium foods protect
bone density. The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for calcium is still 800 mg
for adults 25 and older, but a 1984 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Conference advisory
stated that lifelong protection for bones requires an RDA of 1,000 mg for healthy men and
women age 25 to 50; 1,000 mg for older women using hormone replacement therapy; and
1,500 mg for older women who are not using hormones, and these recommendations have
been confirmed in a 1994 NIH Consensus Statement on optimal calcium intake. A diet with
adequate amounts of calcium-rich foods helps protect bone density. Low-fat and no-fat
cheeses provide calcium without excess fat and cholesterol.
Protection against tooth decay. Studies at the University of Iowa (Iowa City) Dental School
confirm that a wide variety of cheeses, including aged cheddar, Edam, Gouda, Monterey
Jack, Muenster, mozzarella, Port Salut, Roquefort, Romano, Stilton, Swiss, and Tilsit—limit
the tooth decay ordinarily expected when sugar becomes trapped in plaque, the sticky film
on tooth surfaces where cavity-causing bacteria flourish. In a related experiment using only
cheddar cheese, people who ate cheddar four times a day over a two-week period showed a
20 percent buildup of strengthening minerals on the surface of synthetic toothlike material
attached to the root surfaces of natural teeth.
Protection against periodontal disease. A report in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of
Periodontology suggests that consuming adequate amounts of dairy products may reduce the
risk of developing periodontal disease. Examining the dental health of 942 subjects ages 40
to 79, researchers at Kyushu University, in Japan, discovered that those whose diets regularly