Say Low-Fat Cheese!

For nutritional sources of high-quality protein and bone-building calcium it’s hard to beat cheese. The cheese-making process concentrates the protein and nutrients found in milk – it takes approximately 4.7 litres (5 quarts) of milk to produce just 454 grams (one pound) of cheese.

In addition to protein and easily absorbed calcium (200 to 300 mg of calcium per 1-ounce/28- gram serving), cheese contains zinc, phosphorous, vitamin A, riboflavin and vitamin B12. However, many cheeses are also high in milk (saturated) fat. Happily, today’s marketplace offers lots of fatreduced versions of favourites like Cheddar, Swiss and Mozzarella that deliver good taste with much less fat. Here’s what to look for when shopping for low-fat cheeses:

Reduced-fat cheese: 25% less fat than the equivalent full-fat cheese.
Low-fat cheese: 3 g or less of fat per 1-oz./28-g serving.
Fat-free cheese: 0.5 g of fat per 1-oz./28-g serving.

The flavour and texture of lighter cheeses can vary widely, especially when compared to their full-fat equivalents. This is largely due to the addition of stabilizers (to help these cheeses retain their creamy texture) and higher amounts of sodium. Still, low-fat cheeses are a good dairy choice, especially for those who love cheese but want to avoid the extra fat.