Can I eat cheese if I want to lose weight? You will know after reading these 5 points of analysis!

Fragrant and rich cheese always makes people unable to resist its temptation, but cheese is also one of the foods that many girls love and hate, and the reason is its amazing calorie content! This makes many female friends very worried. If they want to maintain a good figure or are trying to lose weight, do they have to avoid high-fat cheese products? After reading this article, you will get the answer you want~

According to a report on the U.S. TIMES website, cheese is actually a very suitable dietary option for those who are trying to lose weight. Although it is indeed high in fat and contains a lot of sodium, a slice of cheddar cheese (1 ounce) contains nearly 9 grams of fat and 180 milligrams of sodium. However, it seems too arbitrary to comment on whether a food is healthy or not based only on a single nutrient. Take a look at the following five health benefits of cheese, and you will understand why experts say that you can eat cheese even when you are losing weight!

1. High protein, high calcium, vitamin B12, B2

In addition to being rich in calcium, cheese is also high in protein because it is a dairy product. It is also rich in vitamin B12, which can maintain the health of the nervous system, promote the regeneration and formation of red blood cells, and has a significant impact on hematopoiesis. It is almost always found in animal foods, such as animal liver, meat, eggs, seafood, milk and cheese. In addition, cheese is also rich in vitamin B2, which can improve the effect of fat metabolism. Therefore, although the fat content of cheese is high, it is not easy to accumulate like the fat in other foods, and the high calcium content can help bone growth and development.

2. Maintain good intestinal bacteria

Cheese is fermented from milk and is rich in active lactic acid bacteria, which can promote intestinal motility and aid digestion. Cheese itself has a good ability to resist stomach acid, which can protect good bacteria from reaching the intestines smoothly and play a healthy role. However, because cheese contains a high salt content, you should be careful to control your intake.

3. Prone to high blood pressure? Sodium is not necessarily the case!

The sodium content of cheese is not low, but a research report published in the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension shows that the protein produced by Italian Grana Padano cheese during the fermentation process can maintain the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs (ACE inhibitor) and help lower blood pressure!

The study targeted 30 adults with an average age of 54 who were receiving medication for hypertension and were divided into a treatment group and a control group. During the two-month experiment, the basic diet was not deliberately changed, but the treatment group ate 30 grams of cheese every day, while the control group ate bread containing salt and fat.

The results showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the treatment group decreased significantly. Experts explained that the peptides in cheese can relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure.

4. High fat is not necessarily bad

In a study at the University of Copenhagen, 139 adults underwent a 12-week cheese diet experiment and were divided into three groups. The first group ate 80 grams of high-fat cheese every day, the second group ate 80 grams of low-fat cheese, and the third group did not eat any cheese and ate ham and bread instead.

The experimental results found that none of the groups experienced an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL). Instead, the first group that consumed high-fat cheese had an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) in their blood. At the same time, a small study in 2015 also pointed out that cheese is a good helper in preventing obesity and promoting metabolism.

5. Excellent heart protection effect

Just recently in 2016, a research paper published in the Journal of the American Heart Association pointed out that consuming more than an ounce of cheese a day can reduce the risk of stroke by 3%. Although cheese is high in fat, dairy products also contain vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is related to heart disease, while calcium and phosphorus may help lower blood pressure. Therefore, the saturated fat in cheese, milk and natural meat is actually good to consume in moderation. The key is to avoid trans fats in artificially processed foods to prevent heart disease.

After reading the above 5 points of analysis on the nutritional value of cheese, you should know that it is actually okay for people who want to lose weight to consume cheese. Moderate intake is not only good for your health, but also can increase the level of good cholesterol in the body. It has many benefits. Don’t worry about cheese making you fat anymore!