Food Showdown: Pass the Cheese, Please!

Cheese is one of the fattiest foods you can eat, and it's also high in unhealthy saturated fats. However, it also adds calcium, flavor, and satiety to your meals. Both of these cheeses are rich in flavor. Feta, a soft cheese, usually tops Greek salads and pastas. Cheddar also goes great on salad, sandwiches, and by itself.

Which cheesy delight will set you back the fewest calories and fat?

The Winner: Feta!

A 1-ounce serving of feta cheese provides 80 calories and 6 grams of fat. This makes it a better choice than cheddar, which contains 120 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving. Next time you're about to top a salad with cheddar, think again! Try to choose low-fat or fat-free cheeses whenever possible. A fat-free serving of cheddar is much healthier than its full-fat counterpart, with only 45 calories and less than half a gram of fat.

Comments

BONNIE1552 6/3/2018

I eat some most everyday. I love Colby jack. Report

NOLAHORSERIDER 6/2/2018

I enjoy feta in my salads. I love most cheese, except blue cheese. On the keto food plan, I eat my fair share of cheese. Yummy! Report

NASFKAB 5/26/2018

Love cheese but the salt in feta is too much for me Report

EO4WELLNESS 3/23/2018

eat it when it makes sense to do so Report

PAULA3420 2/25/2018

I could have been a mouse in a past life :)) I love all cheeses. And, having Greek blood running through my veins has me shouting O'pa!! as I read that Feta Cheese is the winner in this article and I will be buying more Feta at the grocery tomorrow. Report

INSIGHT62 2/22/2018

My biggest weakness is cheese......any kind of cheese :( Report

SADIEMYERS 2/18/2018

I LOVE cheese :) Report

CKOUDSI617 2/11/2018

*LOVE* feta! But especially goat milk or sheep milk feta, rather than made from cow's milk. Cheese of almost any type is probably my favorite type of food. I could NEVER give it up, and gladly, I don't have to! Report

4CONNIESHEALTH 7/13/2017

We have giant rats in our house! We love cheese. Report

RAPUNZEL53

Love cheese. Report

AERO_NERDETTE

I would rather eat a smaller portion of a full-fat cheese than a larger portion of a fat-free cheese. Why? Because the full-fat version tastes so much better! I'd rather limit my intake of more decadent, fattier things than be able to have something that just isn't as good. Report

FOXGLOVE999

I love cheese, and will keep eating it, and sugar, salt in moderation. I do not believe in excluding whole food groups because of extremist views. One thing did not cause obesity, therefore excluding one thing isn't going to cure it. Report

IDJ1973

I love cheese.. My mother is over 90 yrs old, and she has eaten cheese all her life and she has the bones of a 30 yrs old. I got my love of cheese from my mother, and I took have good strong bones. My mom doesn't drink milk, so I am pretty sure she gets her calcium from the cheese. Enough said. Report

PURPOSEPOWER95

I love cheese but the salt is another story. Report

GIVENTHANKS

I love cheese and eat a little of it about every day. I am soon going to go on a Vegan diet and cheese will be what I miss the most! Report

S3XYDIVASMOM

I've cut way back on cheese because of the sodium. I've found swiss cheese and feta to be good choices in that aspect. Are there any low-sodium cottage cheeses out there? If so, I've yet to find them. Report

CORTNEY-LEE

I have a string cheese and a piece of fruit every day for a snack Report

HOTYOYOMAMA

I've learned to use only a tbl. Or two to add flavor and I think I've broke my need to use cheese as the main ingredient. Report

DWILLIAMB

I"m a cheese eater , really like smoked and horseradish cheese!! Report

PENELOPE1025

I love cheese I put it on almost everything Report

NIQUE85

i love cheese....its hard to skip it Report

JEANNEBOYD1

I put a little feta in my salad, put not huge cubes like the picture. Report

MUMSEY5

I use Edam cheese as it has less fat than other cheddar's so I get mt fix but not too much fat Report

LNELSON56

I'm a cheese lover, but have cut way back on it and have gone low fat or fat free. Thank you for the article. Report

OLDCRUSTYONE

Yup the TJ's Goat Medallians are great, also the Mini Brie's. I devour one of each daily with snack 1 & 2. Also, the Trader Joe's light string cheese is delicious, but a bit salty. The Brie is only 70 calories, 6g Fat, very decadent and satisfying with sliced apple or pear. Report

SPARKTARA

I just have to say....I think mine is the only really negative sounding comment on here.
That really wasn't my point, to just bash this cheese info.
My point is that it's not all about JUST fat and calroies.
Your body can handle a little natural fat. In fact, it needs some.
Your body does not need, and cannot handle sugar.
Sugar is what makes people fat. Report

SPARKTARA

I'm with quorndawg. I don't think it does people any favors to say (and it's not just the writer of THIS article) that something is healthier because it has less calories and less fat, and leave out other pertinent information.
For example, a Snickers bar has only 45% of its calories from fat, while an avocado has 70% calories from fat.
But would we argue that that makes the Snickers bar healthier?
Furthermore, flavored "low fat" yogurt is generally worse for you than regular yogurt because all the added sugar that they put in low fat yogurt is MUCH worse for you than having a little natural milkfat in the regular yogurt. (Note: this goes for FLAVORED yogurt...not plain.)

OK - Sorry to sound SO critical. I'm not saying this info on cheese is 100% useless. I just think that people are SO misled by constantly hearing that it's all about fat and calories. It's not. People being unaware of how bad sugar is for them (and it's in SO many "diet," "light," and "low fat" products) is in great part responsible for the obesity and diabetes epidemics we are now experiencing. Report

AUNTB63

After reading most of the comments here I am a happier person this morning....I knew I couldn't be the only person who loves cheese. Now I know that is a fact. Just came across a cream cheese with dark chocolate that is fantastic. Report

IRISHGIRL3

I love cheese - it is such my weakness Report

ARCHIMEDESII

YUM.... cheese (where's a Homer drool emoticon when you need it ?)

When I decided I needed to lose weight, I knew I could never ever give up cheese. Instead, I opted to reduce my portion sizes. Take your pick, feta, goat, cheddar, gouda, stilton, gorganzola, etc... there is nothing like a nice aged cheese. Report

ANDRAYAYA

Love cheese. Report

MARGEMF

Thank-you for he post. Milk & cheese are two of my favorite things. With, cheese however, I need to pass on the older aged cheeses as well as the strong aromatic cheeses due to their containing tyramine, a substance that is well connected with the causes of migraine headaches. Report

ETCBEAR

I love cheese I can do the feta on salads thanks for the tip Report

HANOVERLADY

Cheese - my biggest weakness! I love most of it (you blue cheese lovers can keep that nasty stuff - grin!). I enjoy Feta also but it tastes saltier than some of the other cheeses I like. I wonder if the sodium count is high? Report

FOREVERFITCHICK

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some cheese! Low-fat yum.......fat free, not so much!
Report

PUMPKINPHD

I used to eat cheese several times a week, but I've cut back on dairy the last month or so. I do enjoy some Feta crumbles on a Greek salad on occasion, though. Yum. Report

CHERRY666

I'd rather eat no cheese than fat free (unless it's cottage cheese). Fat free cheese tends to taste like plastic and are kind of gross (at least what I've had). Report

PATTIM67

I like to call cheese a food group, that's how often I like to eat it! Report

ROGERSBABE1

Sharp, sharp cheddar cheese. Being lactose intolerant helps me to limit my intake. I have about 1 oz every other day. But, I can't stand the reduced fat ones....cheese is my little splurge. Report

GMAGEE

I love most cheese, but can't include feta in that group. Never use it, never eat it. Report

KTHOMAS37

I love blue cheese dressing and crumbled blue on salads. Is this rediculously high in calories and fat????? Report

PEGGIE57

Cheese is about the only dairy product that wont give me the runs. I use a combination of lowfat & regular cheeses. I have decided recently to cut back on the cheese becaus of the calories. Report

JUSTJULLIE

fat is needed in the diet for proper hormones and brain function. I hate that we have rampant disorders in children related to parents starving their brains of fat and yet the disinformation continues. Salt is a totally unnecessary additive to foods - I love my fresh mozzarella and ricotta - low sodium, low calorie and plenty of good nutrition. doesn't hurt to make your own food - much better than the commercial made for profit not for quality stuff. Report

LYNNANN43

As my sister says, "Everything is better with Feta!" :D Report

CHRISBIGCHEESE

"Hail Cheese" said Egalitaire! I love it!
Report

JDBOYAR

I use 1/2 oz of mozzarella grated cheese on my egg beaters in the morning, just this little really helps me thru the day. Report

GIACCOI

President makes a fat free feta that provides all the taste of real feta without any guilt. Report

FINOLARAVENFURY

Cheese is definantly my weakness! Report

JOY73YL

I like cheese. It one of the few foods that I'll just have to do something else to off set it. I'm not giving it up. I am willing to pay the price - exercise or what ever. Report

SALTYCHOCOLATE

I'm not a big cheese eater. However, I do like feta, especially Greek feta, which is made with sheep's milk or sheep's and goat's milk. Report

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Food Showdown: Pass the Cheese, Please!

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