Cheese: to eat or not to eat, that is the question

When it comes to healthy eating, there tends to be much debate over cheese. With health experts making various claims over whether to incorporate the dairy product into your diet or ditch it completely, choosing a side can be tricky. After having multiple friends approach me about the subject, I decided that it was about time I looked further into it. Having done some research, I've come to learn a bit more about the ever disputable cheese:

One of such tokens I learned is that cheese helps to prevent tooth decay. Who would've thought? Cheese can also be a valuable source of vitamin B12, vitamin D, zinc, protein, and bone-stregnthing calcium, though certain varieties will be better sources of some nutrients than others, along with having different amounts of calories and fat. For example, while brie contains around 94 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fat per ounce, it provides little calcium in comparison to many other cheeses. Another fine example is part-skim ricotta, which contains around 39 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fat per ounce in addition to being a good source of amino acids, which help to build muscle.

Then there comes the next part of the debate: which to eat, full-fat, low-fat, or non-fat? While full-fat cheese may be high in flavor, it's also high in saturated fat. You can avoid this by going for low-fat or non-fat cheese, but you'll likely notice a decrease in flavor with these options. However, if you're a cheese lover looking to downsize on fat intake, low-fat or fat-free cheese will do just fine. This isn't to say that by choosing low-fat or non-fat you have an excuse to go on an all-out cheese binge, but you'd be saving yourself some fat and calories by doing so.

Something to look out for when shopping for low-fat or fat-free cheese is the sodium content; some varieties contain higher amounts than their full-fat counterparts, but this isn't always the case. On the other hand, a bit of saturated fat here and there shouldn't hurt you if you're cholesterol is in good standing, so if you're seriously craving that decadent flavor, go ahead and indulge in some full-fat cheese. It's important to keep in mind that a little can go a long way, so keep the serving size small; moderation is key!

To get a feel on where some common cheeses stand in relation to their nutritional value, click the link here!