BMW Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 This past weekend several relatives got together and a hot topic was nutrition because my fil had a heart attack and is on a strict diet... I like cheese! I was told, insistently, that it is horrible. That it is bad for us and has not nutritional value... :confused: Is there any information contrary? I'd really like to happily eat cheese... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I don't think you'll find a concensus. Some place value on cheese's calcium and low carb content. Other's see problems with the high saturated fat content, and the fact it's a dairy product, which some contend is unhealthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 It depends on what you mean by cheese. Processed cheese slices, or cheese in a jar or can? That's not real food, and no, I wouldn't consider it good for me. But 'real' cheese? Yum. Love it, feel good about eating it, and have no intention of giving it up any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarawatsonim Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Well I love cheese too. More than is reasonable sometimes. My justification is always that many, many European countries have cheese as an integral part of their meals. Many of them even have a cheese course that comes at dinner time. I don't really worry about, not unless my doctor specifically tells me to cut it out or cut it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I love cheese and I will keep eating it. The point is...everything in moderation. I am sure that if you eat 2 pounds of cheese every day it won't be good for you. But a couple oz a day or every other day is fine. Real cheese, not Velveeta (although that's good for mac & cheese :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 We like cheese and see it as an important source of protein. We don't eat a lot of meat. That said, it is a food that should be eaten in moderation. We do not buy 6lb bags of shredded cheddar to dump on everything we eat. We buy small blocks of high quality specialty cheeses and use them sparingly. The dice rule works well for us. When you buy GOOD cheese you feel satisfied sooner and tend to eat less of it, imo. My children would rather sprinkle a tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on their pasta then bury it in shredded processed American, kwim? They'll have one ounce of feta crumbled on their salad. Two slices of xtra sharp New Zealand cheddar with crackers and other cold plate items for lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Real cheese (not the processed stuff) is part of the Dr. prescribed diet for me. It gives me protein, calcium and even some fat which we need in moderation. Amazingly, fruit is not on the diet for my particular condition but we know that it has nutritional value! Cheese can be banned for people with certain conditions but that does not detract from it's nutritional value for people without that condition - in appropriate amounts that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn in OH Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I don't think you'll find a concensus. Some place value on cheese's calcium and low carb content. Other's see problems with the high saturated fat content, and the fact it's a dairy product, which some contend is unhealthy. I agree with the above. I have a cheese loving family. We buy real cheese though. We frequently have blocks of Parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar in the fridge, and on occasion bleu cheese and brie. Cream cheese and ricotta are used in many recipes. We also put shredded mozzarella and cheddar in some foods. My preferred cheese for sandwiches is provolone. When I plan kid snacks and meals I count cheese as a dairy and a protein. We try not to eat too much cheese, but there is no way we could cut it out of our diet, nor would we want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Read Real Food: What to Eat and Why to find out why foods that American doctors currently think are unhealthy are actually good for you. Read The French Don't Diet Plan to find out why the French are so much healthier than us even though they eat all that "bad for us" rich foods, even cheeses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Brie, nice crackers, and fruit will forever be my favorite lunch. There are many views on saturated fats and dairy. I don't know what the right answer is, or if there even is a right answer for everyone, so I'm in the moderation camp. In do stay clear of any "processed cheese food." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yslek Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Nope, not bad. :D For a very detailed look at how we as a nation came to believe that fat (esp. saturated fat) is bad, and why the studies don't adequately support the fat hypothesis, check out Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280511431&sr=8-1) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I love cheese. I don't believe it's healthy to eat much of it, though. I try to limit it to once a week, though I'd like it to be less than that. Europeans eat cheese, true. However Europeans also have plenty of heart attacks, just like Americans do. I like daisy's "dice rule". I'm going to have to remember that. And i agree that once you have had really good cheese, the pre-shredded stuff in the bags becomes really unappealing, making it much easier to eat less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I really can't believe cheese is bad for you. And I don't want to, either :tongue_smilie:. As someone posted earlier, it's a cultural staple at many tables for all meals. In my fridge right now I have provolone, smoked provolone, medium cheddar, fresh mozzarella, asiago, extra aged parmesan, feta, and cottage as well as cream cheese - and that's pretty normal for us. For lunch, we often just eat chunks of bread with olive oil, chunks of cheese, grapes and fresh green beans and/or olives. However, we don't drink a ton of milk or eat a lot of other dairy (besides butter) or much meat. I think my whole family would completely revolt if we took cheese out of our diets! And I just had my cholesterol checked not too long ago and I'm just about perfect on everything, so...I'm not sure cheese alone can be considered the culprit in the average, healthy individual; there would have to be other factors as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 more and more, the research is coming out that fats (egg yolks, butter, cheese, meat) aren't the problem...sugar (especially hidden sugar) is. Journal of American Medical Association, American Heart Association, Stanford School of Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Eating the "low cholesterol" diet did not help me. The only "diet" thing that has ever actually helped me lose weight, not starve, and lower my cholesterol has been the Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise. I ate the way you are "supposed" to eat for low cholesterol for years (hidden sugars and all), my cholesterol levels were horrible (mid-to-high 200's), ESPECIALLY for a 25 yo woman with a body fat percentage of 18%, and who exercised strenuously for 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, ate no egg yolks, red meat, butter, or cheese, only had non-fat milk, and tuna or salmon as a meat. I will NEVER go back to that "healthy" diet again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 If lovin' cheese is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Read Real Food: What to Eat and Why to find out why foods that American doctors currently think are unhealthy are actually good for you. Read The French Don't Diet Plan to find out why the French are so much healthier than us even though they eat all that "bad for us" rich foods, even cheeses. :iagree::iagree::iagree:And also Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flobee76 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Read Real Food: What to Eat and Why to find out why foods that American doctors currently think are unhealthy are actually good for you. Read The French Don't Diet Plan to find out why the French are so much healthier than us even though they eat all that "bad for us" rich foods, even cheeses. :iagree::iagree::iagree:And also Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. I definitely agree w/ these posters!! These books NEEEEEEED to be read!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Europeans eat cheese, true. However Europeans also have plenty of heart attacks, just like Americans do. Statistics show otherwise. After comparing the French and US statistics and the WHO website, I'd much rather follow the French diet that includes plenty of rich foods including cheese. These are 2002 rates. Unfortunately, as the French adopt more of the US lifestyle, their disease rates are going up. So, yes they still have heart attacks but at less than half the rate. US life expectancy: 75 men, 80 women French life expectancy: 76 men, 83 women US rate of ischaemic heart disease: 514,000 or 21% with 15 years of life lost French rate of ischaemic heart disease: 45,000 or 9% with 7 years of life lost I can't find it now, but a few months ago I was looking at some different WHO stats that had a lot of different stats besides these and they showed that the French were, by far, healthier than we were when it came to diet related diseases. I had looked them up to verify the information in The French Don't Diet Book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDweller Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Read Real Food: What to Eat and Why to find out why foods that American doctors currently think are unhealthy are actually good for you. Read The French Don't Diet Plan to find out why the French are so much healthier than us even though they eat all that "bad for us" rich foods, even cheeses. :iagree: Real cheese is real food. Stay away from the processed stuff. It's all the refined, processed, sugar-laden foods that are bad for you. It's terrible how many foods have sugar added to them (and ridiculous amounts of salt, too) in the name of taste that you should stay away from. I do believe cheese should be eaten in moderation. From what I've read and my own experience 2-4 ounces a day works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 In my fridge right now I have provolone, smoked provolone, medium cheddar, fresh mozzarella, asiago, extra aged parmesan, feta, and cottage as well as cream cheese - and that's pretty normal for us. For lunch, we often just eat chunks of bread with olive oil, chunks of cheese, grapes and fresh green beans and/or olives. I'm coming over!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShutterBug Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Cheese good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Cheese good. Succinct and to the point!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I was a strict vegetarian for 15 years, have never eaten much meat, and we are now returning to being strict vegetarian. I have tried to be a vegan, but life without cheese was just so depressing. I read an interesting article recently (or maybe it was a book) that showed stats on how saturated fat in the diet does not correlate to saturated fat in the blood, but that carbs (bad ones) turn into saturated fat in the blood. Meaning people who eat diets high in saturated fat do not necessarily have high amounts of saturated fats in their blood, but people who eat loads of bad carbs do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Cheese is good for ME.:D My current favorite snack is about an ounce of cheese and a small handful of almonds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Cheese good. :lol: Raw cheese, that is cheese made from raw milk is supposed to have good nutritional value. It's probably like a lot of things - not harmful in moderation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Walnut Gourmandise :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Cheese is good for ME.:D And it goes incredibly well with that wine that's good for me, too. :D Hey! Maybe that's why my cholesterol is so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Since (reluctantly) going mostly vegan, I've found I don't like cheese much any more. I suppose, considering my dietary decisions, this is a good thing :) I used to LOVE it! If you are going to eat cheese, eat good quality cheese. There is so much good cheese in the world, there is no excuse for fake cheese even existing. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 And it goes incredibly well with that wine that's good for me, too. :D Hey! Maybe that's why my cholesterol is so good! :thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 If you are going to eat cheese, eat good quality cheese. There is so much good cheese in the world, there is no excuse for fake cheese even existing. Rosie What a difference there would be in our collective health if we took this attitude about everything we eat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 My own personal food journey and, later, research, has lead me to adopt the diet-stand that a low fat, grain and carb based diet is not ideal. I feel, weigh, sleep and do best when I eat meat, cheese and unlimited non starch veggies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 OMG, I think I would die without cheese. We eat a lot of it, but we eat REAL cheese. Caprese Salad is dh's favorite thing in the world (buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil-YUMMY) and a really good Pecorino sliced thin with some red wine is heavenly and brie on crackers with a good cold white is divine. For sandwiches we use Butterkase (butter cheese) that is 45% fat. It is delicious. We don't drink milk ever unless it's in a bowl of cereal, so we get our calcium from cheese. I can drive to France in 45 minutes and they have the most amazing cheese shops you could ever imagine. Germany has a really good cheese selection, but nothing compares to the ones in France. I love to order the cheese plate in restaurants because I never know what I'll get and I almost always love it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I can drive to France in 45 minutes and they have the most amazing cheese shops you could ever imagine. :glare: to you!! I'm so jealous! However, we do have an amazing fromagerie, sandwiched between a great local pizzeria and an upscale wine shop just around the corner - and I have to drive by it several times a day :drool:. And we have lots of local dairies that sell fresh mozzarella and curds daily - in fact, dh just came home with a bag of each and they are so fresh and squeaky :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 If lovin' cheese is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Barb :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I just had to walk away from this thread to get some cheese bread so that I could actually eat cheese while reading about the yum of cheese. My belly thanks you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 THANK YOU! Cheese lovers unite!! and bon apetit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Are you allergic? How is cheese working for the French? ;) Demonizing flat orange squares of 'cheese'; that I can get behind. Demonizing good cheese? Not on your life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I've always loved cheese and since I don't buy all the hype about proteins and fats being bad for us, I'm not worried about eating all I want. I tend to think that the highly processed, full-of-carbs and HFCS foods are what do us in..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 If lovin' cheese is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Barb Amen Sistah! We buy good quality cheese, not heavily processed. When we eat it, we generally have it with other whole foods. For example, I made homemade pizza tonight with whole milk mozzarella, homemade crust (part of it was home-ground whole wheat), homemade sauce, fresh basil and fresh tomato. YUM YUM YUM!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 :glare: to you!! I'm so jealous!<< snip>> And we have lots of local dairies that sell fresh mozzarella and curds daily - in fact, dh just came home with a bag of each and they are so fresh and squeaky :tongue_smilie:. LauraGB, I just canNOT believe you!!!!! You have the unmitigated gall to envy the other poster when *you* can have fresh curds?!?!!? :toetap05: Ooooh! I'd almost give my right arm for some fresh (or any kind of) cheddar curds! Lucky you! (Darnit!) JKJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 (edited) LauraGB, I just canNOT believe you!!!!! You have the unmitigated gall to envy the other poster when *you* can have fresh curds?!?!!? :toetap05: Ooooh! I'd almost give my right arm for some fresh (or any kind of) cheddar curds! Lucky you! (Darnit!) JKJK :D I'd send you some if I could get them there the next day in a cooler pack - they really are incredible. And the mozarella is stringy and salty and moist (but firm and not wet); I'm eating some as we speak. But French cheese just has a whole different flavor dynamic. It really is special in in its own right. I think, but I'm not sure, that our parallels are similar, so you wouldn't think it would be all that different. But the same applies to the wine - our local wines are more sweet, in spite of the parallel - I've never had a lousy French cheese or a lousy French wine. Edited July 31, 2010 by LauraGB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 I'm from Wisconsin. I LOVE dairy! Especially cheese! Mars Cheese Castle , I miss you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 :glare: to you!! I'm so jealous! However, we do have an amazing fromagerie, sandwiched between a great local pizzeria and an upscale wine shop just around the corner - and I have to drive by it several times a day :drool:. And we have lots of local dairies that sell fresh mozzarella and curds daily - in fact, dh just came home with a bag of each and they are so fresh and squeaky :tongue_smilie:. But I have to drive 45 minutes! Yours is just around the corner. And OMG do I love cheese curds! We used to live in IL, very, very close to the WI border and I loved going up there for cheese curds! Of course as a teen, I loved FRIED cheese curds, which are sooooo not good for you, but soooooo delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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