Because the hero ingredient of a dish or a tasty finale to a meal, cheese stays common. Learn on to find which varieties ought to take satisfaction of place in your cheeseboard.
What’s cheese?
Produced from the milk of cattle, cheese is made by combining milk with salt, stay cultures and an acid or enzyme referred to as rennet. There are literally thousands of various kinds of cheeses with dietary profiles that modify accordingly – from gentle and semi-hard to arduous. The much less moisture a cheese incorporates, the longer its shelf life.
Usually vilified for being excessive in saturated fats, current research counsel fermented dairy merchandise, equivalent to cheese and yogurt, will not be as dangerous as we as soon as thought. It is because different vitamins within the product, or the fermentation course of itself, might assist reasonable the impact of saturated fats within the physique.
Uncover our full vary of well being profit guides or, take a look at a few of our greatest cheese recipes, from cheese, oat and spring onion soda bread to tandoori paneer skewers with mango salsa.
What are the highest 10 healthiest cheeses?
1. Gouda
A standard washed-curd cheese constructed from cow’s milk and brined earlier than ripening, gouda is immediately recognised by its signature holes which might be shaped by gasses launched throughout fermentation.
Being a semi-hard cheese, gouda is particularly wealthy within the mineral calcium and an exceptionally good supply of vitamin K2, vitamins wanted for wholesome bones and enamel. It’s additionally a supply of compounds that inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) by stress-free veins and arteries with the potential to assist decrease blood strain.
Gouda additionally incorporates antioxidants that seem to guard the cardiovascular system from the consequences of excessive ranges of salt; that is particularly related for individuals who are salt-sensitive.
A 25g serving of gouda gives:
- 94kcals/390kJ
- 6.3g protein
- 7.7g fats
- 5.1g saturated fats
- 193mg calcium
- 0.578g salt
Take a look at our recipe for roast Jerusalem artichokes and leeks with crème fraîche, shaved gouda & hazelnuts.
2. Edam
Originating from the Netherlands, edam is constructed from semi-skimmed cow’s milk. It has a decrease calorie and fats content material than many different cheese varieties and a formidable calcium contribution.
Like gouda, edam incorporates the identical compounds which have a blood strain decreasing impact in addition to antioxidants that shield the cardiovascular system from the consequences of excessive ranges of salt.
A 25g serving of edam gives:
- 85kcals/354kJ
- 6.7g protein
- 6.5g fats
- 4.0g saturated fats
- 199mg calcium
- 0.623g salt
Take a look at our recipes for autumn vegetable soup with tacky toasts and candy potato & shallot quesadillas.
3. Goat’s cheese
This tangy, gentle cheese is constructed from goat’s milk and has the next medium chain fatty acid content material than cheese constructed from cow’s milk. A lot of these fat are extra quickly absorbed throughout digestion making them much less prone to be saved as physique fats.
Goat’s milk has decrease ranges of the milk sugar, lactose, making it typically simpler to digest for these with lactose intolerance. It additionally incorporates A2 casein, a protein that some folks discover simpler to digest than cow’s milk, which incorporates A1 casein.
A 25g serving of goat’s cheese gives:
- 80kcals/332kJ
- 5.3g protein
- 6.5g fats
- 4.5g saturated fats
- 33mg calcium
- 0.375g salt
Strive our recipes for goat’s cheese & caramelised onion frittata with a lemony inexperienced salad and goat’s cheese, pear & walnut tartines.
4. Parmesan
A tough cheese, parmesan is constructed from unpasteurised cow’s milk and aged for a minimum of 12 months. The identify “parmesan” and “Parmigiano Reggiano” are protected beneath Italian and European legislation, so any cheese carrying the identify should originate from designated provinces in Italy.
Parmesan has mineral-binding compounds that make it an particularly helpful supply of bone-building minerals, equivalent to calcium and phosphorus. It additionally incorporates proteins which will modulate the immune system in addition to having blood strain decreasing results.
Because of its lengthy getting older course of, parmesan has very low ranges of lactose, making it a possible choice for these with lactose intolerance. Nevertheless, because it incorporates cow’s rennet, it’s not appropriate for these following a vegetarian eating regimen.
A 25g serving of parmesan gives:
- 104kcals/432kJ
- 9.1g protein
- 7.4g fats
- 4.8g saturated fats
- 256mg calcium
- 0.412g salt
This versatile cheese works in so many alternative recipes, our favourites embody parmesan spring rooster and pea, mint & spring onion soup with parmesan biscuits.
5. Paneer
An Indian cheese constructed from complete cow’s milk mixed with a fruit or vegetable acid equivalent to lemon juice. Being made with out using rennet makes paneer appropriate for lacto-vegetarians.
With its comparatively excessive fats content material, paneer is a helpful supply of fat-soluble nutritional vitamins, together with nutritional vitamins A and D. It’s additionally considerably decrease in salt than most different forms of cheese.
Consuming cheese, equivalent to paneer, as the ultimate part of a meal might assist scale back dental caries.
A 25g serving of paneer gives:
- 82 kcals/341 kJ
- 6.5g protein
- 6.1g fats
- 3.9g saturated fats
- 34mg calcium
- 0.02g salt
Paneer is a non-aged, non-melting gentle cheese with a gentle flavour, it retains its form when cooked making it excellent in curries and facet dishes.
Take a look at our prime paneer recipes, together with paneer korma, spiced broccoli, paneer and peas with garam masala cashews, and paneer with broccoli and sesame.
6. Mozzarella
A gentle, white contemporary cheese with a high-moisture content material, this Italian cheese is often constructed from buffalo or cow’s milk. It has a low calorie, fats and salt content material and is a supply of helpful microbes, though this will fluctuate relying on the milk supply used.
A 25g serving of mozzarella gives:
- 64 kcals/267kJ
- 4.7g protein
- 5.1g fats
- 3.4g saturated fats
- 90mg calcium
- 0.30g salt
Mozzarella works nicely in cooked meals due to its potential to soften, stretch and brown when heated.
Use mozzarella to make our mozzarella with tomato and chilli salsa, roast aubergine parmigiana and summery stuffed squash.
7. Ricotta
This creamy Italian cheese is constructed from the watery by-product of different cheeses, together with mozzarella. The protein in ricotta comes largely within the type of whey, which research counsel might play an immune-supportive position.
A 25g serving of ricotta gives:
- 36kcals/150kJ
- 2.4g protein
- 2.8g fats
- 1.7g saturated fats
- 60mg calcium
- 0.06g salt
Ricotta is considerably low in fats and energy, but has a deliciously creamy texture that works nicely in each candy and savoury dishes.
Get pleasure from ricotta in our herb and ricotta rooster with mushroom rice, fig, nut and seed bread with ricotta, and fruit and white chocolate and ricotta cheesecake.
8. Cottage cheese
A gentle, white cheese constructed from the free curds of cow’s milk, cottage cheese has a novel protein-to-calorie ratio. It’s this excessive protein mixed with low-calorie content material that makes cottage cheese a sensible choice for weight administration, with research suggesting it could even be as satiating as consuming an egg.
A 25g serving of cottage cheese gives:
- 26kcals/108kJ
- 2.4g protein
- 1.5g fats
- 0.8g saturated fats
- 32mg calcium
- 0.15g salt
Discover inspiration with our tasty recipes, together with cottage cheese fritters, spicy tuna and cottage cheese jacket, and open cottage cheese and pepper sandwich.
9. Cheddar
An English semi-hard cheese, cheddar is constructed from cow’s milk . It’s wealthy in protein and calcium and an excellent supply of vitamin K2, which we want for wholesome bones and enamel. This vitamin additionally performs an vital position in how we use calcium and prevents it from being laid down in arteries and veins, which might inhibit blood move and result in an elevated danger of coronary heart illness.
A 25g serving of cheddar gives:
- 104kcals/431kJ
- 6.3g protein
- 8.7g fats
- 5.4g saturated fats
- 185mg calcium
- 0.453g salt
Strive cheddar in our straightforward recipes courgette, potato and cheddar soup, and tomato and harissa stew with cheddar dumplings.
10. Feta
Usually constructed from sheep or goat’s milk mixed with rennet, this Greek cheese is gentle and tangy to style. Usually packaged in a brine to assist protect its freshness, feta is relatively excessive in salt.
Like different full-fat dairy merchandise, feta is a supply of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is related to enhancements in physique mass composition and heart problems. Nevertheless, though CLA ranges improve throughout ripening, they lower because the cheese ages.
A 25g serving of feta gives:
- 62kcals/259kJ
- 3.9g protein
- 5.0g fats
- 3.4g saturated fats
- 90mg calcium
- 0.625g salt
Take a look at our favorite feta recipes, baked feta with sesame and honey, and crispy grilled feta with saucy butter beans.
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