Can he keep the cheese?

[JenZen]

Happy Monday everyone.

My SO is finally getting serious about dropping the weight he gained after he quit smoking. Anyway, he says the one thing he doesn't want to cut out of his diet is cheese. He loves it.

Anyway, I want to know if some cheeses are healthier for you than others. Which ones have less fat, etc. What are your thoughts?

[jphilg]

I am with your SO! I am currently doing Weight Watchers but I have really not cut cheese from my diet. I have, though,

1. Started weighing out my 1-oz servings
2. Switched to higher flavor cheeses. No use spending points/cals on monterey jack when a sharp Vermont Cheddar or a hunk of Blue cheese goes so much further.
3. I stopped buying pre-shredded cheeses. Shredding your own means that there is more visual volume, and there are no anti-caking agents to interfere with the glorious cheesiness.
4. Don't even think about low fat or (god forbid) no fat cheese. It is not worth it at all. SOme cheeses are naturally lower in fat: part skim mozzerella, feta....

There's my $.02.

Jen

[wallycat]

If he has no cardiovascular risks to prevent him from eating sat. fats like cheese, remember a calorie is a calorie is a calorie...
if he's counting how many he eats, and calculates cheese correctly, and doesn't go OVER his calorie allotment (or increases exercise to burn off the extra calories eaten) he'll be fine.
Fat calories add up faster so that is why many people prefer to limit them so they can EAT MORE....but it is not a requirement to losing weight....only requirement is to expend more calories than you are consuming...wish it were as easy to do as it is to say:D :o

[donleyk]

I just had a suggestion.... I am amazed at how good most riositto's are, and cheesy. If you serve the recommended portion you get this cheesy fix without a lot of guilt.

Feta is also a good way to get a fix, IMO. A lot of taste and easy to measure.

[Jewel]

The only lowfat cheese that we enjoy on a regular basis is the Kraft 2% Sharp Cheddar. It's pricey, about $3.50 for an 8 oz block, but the flavor is good and it melts pretty well! ;)

I agree with everything said. Use a high flavor cheese and you'll use less. Cheese's like Monterey Jack are a bit bland, and you end up using more to get to that flavor 'set point' in your brain... but if you use Pepper Jack cheese instead, you can use less and get more flavor!

I also agree with the risotto idea, but keep in mind that the rice packs quite a caloric punch also! :eek: Definitely better than mac and cheese for a fix though! :cool: Just make sure you serve no more than a 1/2 cup portion.

[SusanMac]

Don't quote me on this, but I always heard that parmesan (the hard, fresh, real kind) is one of the lowest fat cheeses. If you splurge on the high quality stuff, it's got awesome flavor. Also, to really get the most out of your cheese fixes, I'd say to just eat it plain. Skip shredding it on salads or pastas (where the flavor will mix in with something else), and enjoy a slice or two alone.

Good luck! Cutting back on cheese is one of the hardest things to do...at least in my house anyway.

[beccathebaker]

I agree with all of the comments above and wanted to add that one of my favorite low-fat cheeses is cabot 75% light cheddar. It has none of the artificial "yucky" stuff, and melts and tastes exactly like the real thing. I love it on pizza or on potatoes.

I also love goat cheese which is not too high in fat and is so creamy and rich tasting. Parmesan packs alot of flavor with just a dash.

I don't believe in ever giving up anything completely! :)

-Becca

[JHolcomb]

Just weigh it out and make sure he's not eating more of it then he thinks he is. He could give up another "treat" for the cheese. Like, if he drinks sweet tea or soda, he could give one of those up for 2 ounces of cheese. Just make sure he's not getting too many calories, that's all.

[Sara Emily]

I just wanted to back up Becca's two suggestions. - The Cabot reduced fat truly is the BEST tasting in many people's opinion and has received some excellent press in the books and magazines that rate these things. Also, we are LOVERS of goat cheese, and wonder if your DH might find that he is too. Remember that some have much stronger (read: unpleasant to some) flavors than others, so it's worth experimenting.

I would be hard pressed to give up my cheese too! :)

[JenZen]

Thanks everyone.

We had goat cheese in the pototoes au gratin recipe this weekend, and it was really tasty. The problem with Al is that he loves eating cheese raw. He just loves the texture and taste. I equate it to my love of chocolate.

Anyway, my game plan is to slowly put healthier foods in his diet. He already wants me to get him lots of fruits and vegetables, so that is a good start. I know we need to work on cutting the pizza nights down and eliminating the quanitity of servings.

I'm going to try the thinner slice, richer flavor approach and see how things go.

[howdy]

JenZen,
I just noticed that on the Wholefoods.com website under cooking tips (or something like that) they have a section on cheese. They have like every kind of cheese listed, it's fat content and how it's best eaten/used in cooking. Just thought this may help when trying to buy and cook with lower fat cheese. If you can't find where it's at let me know and i'll try and post it.

[Jewel]

Is Cabot cheese a national brand or local? :confused: I can't recall seeing it in the Pacific Northwest. Anyone local know?

[slknight]

Jewel,

Cabot Cheese is from Vermont. I don't know if it is carried nationally or not, but you can check out their website and put in your zipcode.

http://www.cabotcheese.com

We haven't tried the reduced fat one that others have mentioned, but we do like their products, especially the pepper jack. BTW, they also make really good butter.

Also want to point out that you can buy their cheese online, although the shipping would make it pretty pricey. Under the 50% reduced-fat cheddar, they even have a quote from Cooking Light!

"We like Cabot the best." Jan/Feb 2001 Cooking Light Magazine.

-Susan