Okay so I asked before do most people use low fat cheese or eat the regular stuff when counting calories. It was mostly regular cheese is what I collected most people said they eat. Now I want to know. What type of cheese do you eat? What is really the healthiest or lowest in calories?
I think you might be worrying too much about it- cheese in general (in reasonable servings) is healthy, and 2% milk cheese is good for lower calories. Most cheeses are going to be decent, so I would recommend just choosing the one you enjoy.
I'll eat both- it depends on how hungry I am during the day. If I'm starving, I'll eat low fat cheese (for instance, on a sandwich) to save myself the calories for more food for the rest of the day. If I'm not starving or anything, I'll eat regular cheese on my sandwich or whatever else I would put cheese on...
Pick what works for YOU and what you LIKE. I love cheese. It's truly one of my passions. Really good artisan cheeses. Aged sharp cheddar. A really rich creamy blue. A deep smoky gouda. Slivers of aged parmigiana-reggiano over bruschetta ... mmmmm
So I eat real, whole fat cheese in reasonable quantities. One serving of cheese is usually about an ounce, so that's what I do. I budget my calories for 1 ounce or sometimes 2 ounces of full fat, wonderful cheese.
For some people, cheese isn't that important. They use it as an ingredient or as a source of protein but they don't really care about the subtleties of flavor of a great cheese. For them, a reduced fat version might be a better option.
I don't choose my cheese based on what has the lowest calories, or which is healthiest, because when it comes to cheese those aren't things that I care about.
My vegan 18 y/o daughter could give you give you a big scary lecture about the evils of cheese. All cheese!! Oh the fat, oh the sodium, the wretched chemicals!
I love the stuff, myself.
These days I'm making due with low fat versions -- I love the low fat feta because it has such a strong taste, you can get away with using an ounce.
I love a greek salad with cucumbers, red onion, feta, oregano, garlic, olive oil and garbanzo beans. Yum!!
To me most low fat foods taste unappetizing, including low fat cheeses (or they just taste strange). If the flavor is not there, they are not satisfying. I find it much easier to limit the amount of whole cheese I eat (like 1 oz a day) and still get the full flavor of whole milk cheese. I usually use it as an ingredient in something like a burrito anyway, as I don't really do snacks. I will eat low fat cottage cheese and yogurt though. I can't stand milk unless it's whole milk, and only have 1/2 cup a day in my morning latte.
If you are calorie counting, I find that less whole milk product goes further than more low fat product and you don't feel cheated. When you are dieting it's important to really enjoy your food.
Last edited by recidivist; 12-18-2008 at 01:10 AM.
I don't know which is the best for you or lowest calories or what have you, but when I have an option I'll always go for a sprinkle of feta or goat cheese because they're so flavorful I find I only need a tiny portion to pack a punch.
I don't skimp on cheese, I like the regular stuff. I am using mainly sharp because it has more flavour so I don't need as much. On my breakfast sandwiches I usally use 2% slices but I don't have any right now my kids ate them all so I am slicing up monterey. I have drastically cut back on the amount of cheese I use on my grilled sandwiches. I use to use like 2oz per sandwich now I use maybe half an ounce per sandwich.
Full fat of whatever I'm in the mood for. Generally we eat sharp cheddar and provolone the most.
A slice on a sandwich or turkey burger for dinner is normal. I buy the thin sliced (which is still plenty thick imo) and it comes to 80 cals with 5 g of protein.
Sharp if im just eating it plain, 2% slice on say a breakfast sandwich but most times I even use sharp on this also. I just work in the calories because I love cheese and it does have a lot of good things for you.
Just pick a kind you like and eat a regular portion and enjoy!
I love all cheese. Blue cheese crumbles are my favorite salad topping cheese and pepper jack is my favorite sandwich cheese. I calorie count and have no problem working a small portion into my daily calories. Just can't eat the entire package like I used to, lol.
I like the strong flavored cheeses, because it seems I get more bang for my buck (er calorie). I'll slice the cheese as paper thin as I can and usually eat it alone or with fruit. If I'm going to use a cheese for melting, I'll buy "fancy shred," the very thin shreds, because smaller amounts go further, but I'll still use a stronger cheese if I can. Swiss or Asiago over mozarella for example.
Cheese
