If you are a cheese lover, this post is for you. It is simple to understand why so many people adore cheese. It is because of its distinctive flavor, consistency, and delightful ability to melt over pizza or a pasta meal.
But let’s say you have diabetes, heart disease, or another disease that requires you to consume fewer saturated fats. You could then ask if you can include cheese in your diet without sacrificing your health objectives. While many varieties of cheese can contain substantial amounts of saturated fat, a type of fat that, when consumed a lot, is linked to some undesirable health outcomes, like elevated LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, cheese is packed with essential nutrients that support our overall health, including calcium and protein.
Here are six foods to keep on hand for the next time you have a cheese desire if you want to stick to low-saturated fat options.
Best Low-Saturated-Fat Cheese
- Fat-Free Swiss Cheese
As the name suggests, fat-free Swiss cheese has no fat at all. Therefore, this cheese kind often has fewer calories than its full-fat sibling since it has less fat. Keep in mind that if you want the cheese to melt, there may be better options than this variation because it lacks fat, as it may not function as effectively as the original variety. But fat-free Swiss cheese can work as a quick addition to a sandwich or an easy snack option.
- Cottage Cheese with 2% Milkfat
Cottage cheese is an excellent complement to fruit salads, pasta meals, and even as a baked potato topping. Additionally, a pleasant addition to the diet for cheese lovers who want to reduce their intake of saturated fat. According to the USDA, one 100-gram serving of this cheese has little more than 1 gram of saturated fat.
- Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese made from part-skim milk is an excellent option for adding creaminess to various meals. This cheese can be just as filling as cheeses that are equally good but have much more saturated fat since it has curds smaller than cottage cheese and a fresh cheesy flavor. According to the USDA, one ounce of part-skim ricotta cheese contains 1.4 grams of saturated fat.
- Part-Skim Mozzarella
Part-skim mozzarella, which is still delicious to eat, has less saturated fat than full-fat mozzarella since it is manufactured using milk with some fat skimmed out. Because part-skim mozzarella often melts smoothly, it can be used to create cheesy egg dishes or handmade pizzas. In addition, part-skim mozzarella cheese is a better option for folks trying to restrict their consumption of saturated fat because it only has 2.8 grams of fat per ounce.
- Neuchatel Cheese
If you’re trying to restrict your intake of saturated fat, Neufchâtel cheese can be an excellent substitute for cream cheese, which has more fat. This cheese has 3.6 grams of saturated fat per ounce (versus 5.1 grams in 1 ounce of regular cream cheese). Therefore, many recipes for cream cheese can be substituted with Neufchâtel cheese.
Final Words
If you love cheese but are trying to limit your saturated fat intake, you can still enjoy your favorite dairy product while maintaining your dietary objectives. You should be fine if you stick to foods with less saturated fat and eat sensible portions. Additionally, learning about dairy-free cheese alternatives may help you satisfy your appetite for cheese in a way that is low in saturated fat if you can’t live without varieties that are often higher in saturated fat.
