Author: millieepona
Health Benefits of Cheese
Did you know that there are many health benefits to eating cheese? Of course, we need to consume everything in moderation but we’re excited to share with you some of the great healthy elements of our favorite food.
Calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium. This is important for promoting healthy bones and teeth, especially in our younger years. Even more essentially, calcium helps our muscles to contract and our heart to beat. It is quite vital for our health!
Fat
Some fat in our diet is very important and cheese can provide this whilst also offering many other health benefits. If you need to gain weight for health reasons, then cheese can be an excellent addition to your balanced diet. The healthy fat known as CLA supports our immune systems, regulates blood sugar levels and can even reduce your risk of heart disease. CLA is found in a variety of cheeses, but especially those made with milk from grass-fed cows.
Protein
This is responsible for repairing and protecting our body and also promotes a good immune system. As our bodies do not store protein, we need to make sure that we eat adequate amounts of it each day. Hard cheeses such as Parmesan have the highest protein content; wet, fresh cheeses will have much less.
Vitamin B12
This is the largest and most complex vitamin that we have knowledge of. It helps the production of red blood cells, protein and DNA. Without it, we can experience lethargy and muscle weakness. Cleverly, our body can store away any excess of B12 that we don’t need at the time for up to a year. We can find the highest B12 content in delicious Swiss cheese. That’s an excuse to eat some if ever we heard it!
Vitamin K2
This vitamin can help to prevent some of the most common diseases facing us. It works with calcium and vitamin D to help your bone, skin and dental health. This is another vitamin found most often in hard cheeses, especially Gouda and brie.
Glutathione
You might not have heard of this antioxidant, but a study found that it is found in dairy products. It is great for our brain health and preventing age-related degeneration.
So, there you have it, cheese isn’t simply bad for you. In fact, in most cases, it is the things that we eat cheese on that are unhealthy: pizza bases, nachos, and so on. As part of a balanced diet, cheese provides many of the health benefits that are essential to us. Consider eating cheese with salads, fruits or in dishes with vegetables to keep getting those health benefits without the less healthy foods.
It has been shown that cheeses made with milk from grass-fed animals are the best in terms of nutrients, so you’ll be pleased to know that many of our local cheeses are made from the highest quality milk, with no artificial hormones added.
How do you like to stay healthy? Let us know in the comments below!
Cheese Glossary: The Letter A
This is the first of our posts that will help you to understand all of the terms associated with cheese. We decided that because there are so many different words to describe different cheeses, as well as lots of different techniques used in cheese-making, it would be helpful to explain some of these for our wonderful readers and customers. If you have a word that you would like us to add to the cheese glossary, let us know in the comments below.
Acidity
When cheese is made, bacteria digest sugars in the milk to produce lactic acid. Different factors can be used to make cheeses more or less acidic. Cheeses with a high acidity will be sour, sharp or tart in flavor.
Aged
Cheese that is aged has been left for a certain amount of time in specific conditions. The aging process involves using temperature, humidity, molds, bacteria and time to change the cheese. An aged cheese will lose moisture, making it harder than fresh cheeses. One of our favorite aged cheeses is our delicious aged Canadian cheddar.
Affine
Another word meaning to age cheese.
Affineur
This very fancy term indicates a person who ages cheese. They will decide when it is perfectly ripe and ready for you to eat.
American
American cheese is a processed cheese that is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor. It has a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily which might by why we enjoy it on cheeseburgers.
Amino Acids
These acids form proteins, which react with other compounds to make cheese tasty.
Fresh and delicious Amish butter is produced from butterfat, one of the byproducts of cheese making.
Ammoniated
This is when a cheese begins to smell or taste of ammonia. It means that the cheese has over-ripened and should, therefore, not be eaten.
Annatto
An orange-red food coloring that is derived from the seeds of the achiote tree. It is used to add yellow and orange colors to foods including cheese. In larger quantities, it can add a nutty, peppery flavor as well as a peppery aroma to foods.
A point
This is a French term to express that a cheese has reached its peak ripeness.
Appellation
This is a legally controlled name for a particular food or drinks, usually associated with a specific place. These are associated with products such as cheese and wine. There are several different terms depending on the country, including Appellation d’Origine Protegee (France) and Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Italy). We’ll always indicate if a cheese has a specific origin.
Asiago
Asiago cheese is an Italian cheese named for a region in Italy where it was first produced. Its texture varies from semi-firm to firm depending on how long it is aged; anywhere from three months up to a year.
We hope that you will find this cheese glossary useful in understanding more about cheese! Did we miss any ‘A’ words that you’d like to learn about? Tell us below and we’ll let you know what they mean!
