Health

Cheese and Health

There are many rumours and misconceptions about food and in turn cheese. One of these is that people trying to diet should cut out cheese, believing it to be unhealthy and packed full of fat. Yes, cheese does contain fat, but it can be enjoyed in small amounts as part of a balanced diet. What is sometimes forgotten is that cheese helps towards the intake of some nutrients that our bodies need for good health. And, if you are trying to reduce your calorie or fat intake you can do so whilst still keeping small amounts of cheese in your diet. Here are a couple of suggestions:

• There are reduced fat variants of your favourite hard cheese, Cheddar, such as half fat farmhouse, under supermarket own labels or branded products such as Cathedral City Lighter or Seriously Lighter.  The fat content of these cheeses can be as much as 50% lower than normal Cheddar
• Try using stronger tasting cheese in your cooked dishes - you should get the same flavour but use less cheese
• If you're having a cheese sandwich, cheese on toast or cheese and biscuits miss out the margarine or butter or spread
• Grating your cheese expands the volume and means you should use less
• For lower fat cheese recipe ideas see the Recipe section