Cheese is an ingredient that causes many dishes to go from plain and boring to tasty and satisfying. But with all of the emphasis on low-fat lifestyles, some people choose to avoid cheese. It is true that if you eat large amounts of cheese, the calories do add up, and cheese can also be high in saturated fat.

For instance, a single stick of string cheese can contain five or more grams of saturated to only 80 - 100 calories.

Fortunately, today many low-fat varieties of cheeses are available, for those who are calorie conscious.

Additional help can be had for those who choose to eat cheese together with fresh fruit, a perfect complement to cheese.

 

Nutrient Content

Cheese contains a high concentration of essential nutrients: calcium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and high-quality protein.

Health Benefits

• Cheese is a good source of calcium, which helps build strong bones and teeth. Cheese provides 25% of the calcium in the food supply.
• Cheese being very high in  calcium content, it helps in keeping our teeth strong. Moreover, it is very low in lactose content. The older the cheese, the lower is the lactose content. This also is beneficial for the teeth as any form of sugar (glucose, maltose or lactose) in food stuff harms teeth.
• Apart from having very high calcium content, cheese is also rich in vitamin-B, which is very good for children, women (particularly pregnant and lactating) and elderly people (well, for adults too), for formation and strengthening of bones and cartilages. The vitamin-B here aids proper absorption and distribution of calcium.
• Cheese is an excellent food for gaining weight. They are full of proteins, fats, calcium, vitamins and minerals. You have proteins for muscles, fats for fats, calcium for heavier and stronger bones and vitamins and minerals for better metabolism.
• Many varieties of cheese, in particular aged cheese like Cheddar and Swiss, contain little or no lactose. For this reason, cheese is an important source of calcium and other nutrients that are found in milk for lactose intolerant people.
• Cheese plays an important role in Osteoporosis prevention.

Cheese Recipes

Mozzarella Sticks recipe

Ingredients

10 ounces of Mozzarella cheese.
2 medium eggs, beaten.
¾ cups of breadcrumbs, dry.
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.
Cooking oil.

Method

• Cut the Mozzarella into inch-long sticks.
• Beat the eggs, then dip each cheese stick into the egg mixture.
• Coat with breadcrumbs and sesame seed.
• Fry in cooking oil until golden brown.