The Best Cheese To Have In Your Diet Plan

One food that it seems so many love but yet many feel bad about eating as it’s often viewed as ‘unhealthy’ is cheese. Is cheese something that really should be avoided? Or can you safely add it in without trouble?

The thing to remember about cheese is that there are many varieties, and not all cheese is created alike. If you opt for the right variation of cheese, it’s perfectly possible to include it in your diet without trouble - as long as you make some room.

Cheese is higher in calories and does contain some cholesterol so you’ll want to limit how much you’re eating but if you choose wisely then it can certainly be a part of your program plan.

Here are my favorite varieties to have in your menu.

1. Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is the first cheese variety you’ll definitely want to check out when you can. Cottage cheese is typically higher in sodium content, so note that you will want to either purchase the lower sodium variety or choose to cut back on your salt at other times in the day in order to work a little leeway into your diet.

Cottage cheese is a cheese that not everyone tolerates so well, so if it’s not for you, you’ll need to move on but if you can learn to love it, it’s actually a fantastic source of protein.

Unlike other cheese varieties, it contains far more protein than fat content so it can be used as the main protein source in your diet plan. What’s more is that the protein found in cottage cheese is a casein form of protein, which is slower digesting in the body and will help satisfy you for hours to come.

So if you eat some cottage cheese, you should find you aren’t as hungry for hours after you consume it, leading to better overall satiety with your meal. This is one reason why cottage cheese with peanut butter is often regarded as the meal of choice for many bodybuilders before they go to bed for the evening.

Cottage cheese can be eaten in a sweet or savory manner so there are plenty of opportunities to work it into your diet plan. If you really can’t tolerate eating it, you might also consider blending it into a smoothie, which will allow you to get it in but nicely disguise the taste.

2. Light Cream Cheese

The second type of cheese to consider adding is light cream cheese. This is a favorite for many who are into toast, bagels, or English Muffins and it can be a perfect substitute for higher-fat cream cheese, peanut butter, or just plain butter.

When you opt for lower-fat cream cheese, you’ll actually come to find the protein content is actually higher than the fat content, making it an interesting choice for optimizing your macro intake.

Light cream cheese can be found in a few flavored varieties as well, so experiment with those and try and find one that you love. Also, keep in mind that all brands are created a bit different and some may be lower in calories than other brands. Be sure to shop around and find one that works with your calorie targets.

3. Low Fat Shredded Cheese

Low fat shredded cheese will also be an option for those who can’t do without their cheddar. If all you really want is normal style cheese for preparing foods like lasagne, grilled cheese, or otherwise, then simply look for lower-fat varieties in your supermarket. These will contain less total saturated fat content, fewer calories, and more protein per total amount of calories consumed.

This is all good news for any diet plan. While you will still need to watch how much of it you eat as the calories will add up, light cheese is definitely easier to work into your diet plan than other cheese varieties.

4. Swiss Cheese

Finally, of all the hard cheese varieties, the one that has the highest level of protein content is Swiss cheese, so whenever possible, this is the one that you want to be choosing. Swiss cheese does have a more pungent taste than the other cheese varieties, so one that may take some getting used to, however, if you can find ways to incorporate it into your cooking that you enjoy - and that will satisfy your craving for cheese, you’ll be all set.

Thinly sliced Swiss cheese melted over protein sources, vegetables, or just eaten with crackers can all be great ways to enjoy this one.

So keep all this in mind and don’t be so quick to write off cheese. You might just be able to find that you can include it after all and still eat a healthy meal plan.