Cheese, the ultimate savory comfort food, gets a bad rep when it comes to being healthy. Good news: It's not all warranted. Sure, cheese is a treat, but it's also fairly nutritious, said Anna Kippen, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Wellness, especially in smaller serving sizes. We've got the tips and advice you need to make cheese a part of your healthy diet, so grab a slice (just one!) and read on.
Is Cheese Healthy?
Cheese can "absolutely" be considered nutritious, Anna told POPSUGAR. "Cheese can be a wonderful source of vitamin A, protein, and calcium," she explained. "It also can lead to increased satiety [2] by providing us with a serving of fat."
As with almost all foods, though, she added that it's best not to eat too much of it. Easier said than done, especially when it comes to cheese: warm and melted, sliced and cold, it's so easy to start and just keep on going. That's one reason why cheese has a bad reputation, Anna said: it's a rich source of fat and calories that is easy to overindulge in.
To avoid that, Anna recommends eating just one serving a day, which amounts to one slice or a portion that's roughly the size of two dice. "We do need to account for the extra calories, fat and sodium," she explained. "I find this is a good guideline that helps us keep our cheese intake in check." However, she added that the amount of cheese you should eat really depends on the rest of your diet, as well as your weight and any medical conditions. Talk to a dietitian for more personalized guidelines.
We should also note that all of that goes for people who are able to consume lactose. If you're lactose intolerant, eating too much cheese can lead to gastrointestinal issues, Anna said. However, she noted that aged hard cheese is likely to go over a little better than other kinds.
Can I Eat Cheese and Still Lose Weight?
"Cheese can be a healthy part of a lifestyle promoting weight loss," Anna told POPSUGAR. Again, moderation is the key. "Cheese is a rich source of calories and we want to be cautious by having only one serving at a time," she said. Yes, that might mean only one slice of pizza or a slightly less-generous sprinkling of mozzarella on your lasagna, but those smaller portions can be just as effective at satisfying your cheese craving while keeping you on track to lose weight.
Anna also recommended cutting back on saturated fats and calories in other areas. Eating at a slight caloric deficit [4] is a big part of losing weight. If cheese is a favourite snack or topping, you can definitely eat it in moderation, but you'll want to balance out your calorie and fat consumption in other areas to ensure that you're still burning slightly more calories than you consume.
Which Cheeses Are Healthiest?
"When it comes to cheese, personal preference is most important," Anna told POPSUGAR. "I'd rather you eat one serving of a higher-fat cheese rather than have three servings of a lower-fat cheese." That said, Anna typically recommends a lower-fat cheese that has fewer calories and less saturated fat. "Part-skim mozzarella and reduced-fat cottage cheese are two of my favourites," she said.
But if you have trouble limiting yourself when it comes to milder cheeses, "I would recommend choosing cheese with stronger flavours so that it's easier to have an appropriate portion size," Anna told POPSUGAR. "It can be a lot easier to have a pinch of Parmesan or crumble of feta on your salad than just one ounce of mozzarella." Here's more on which cheeses are best for weight loss [6] in particular.
It comes down to personal preference and learning how to work through your own overeating impulses [7] so that you can enjoy cheese without going overboard too often. "The key is the same as with many other indulgent foods," Anna said. "Moderation!"