Three Reasons Why Cheese is Good for the Body

Cheese is often considered not included in the category of healthy food. This assumption is contrary to what many people believe about the original ingredients, milk. Milk is considered to contain several important nutrients for the human body.

Actually consuming too much cheese is indeed less recommended, especially if you want to reduce saturated fat. However, cheese contains important vitamins and minerals. For that reason, health experts recommend putting a little cheese in your food.

"Cheese is often called high in calories, fat, saturated and salt, but it is also packed with various other nutrients," said nutritionist Juliette Kellow.

It's common knowledge to call food 'good' or 'bad' when people talk about diet and nutrition. This has caused some foods to get a bad reputation. "It's even 100 percent natural like cheese," added Rob Hobson, nutritionist and head of Nutrition at Healthspan.

If eaten in moderation, cheese turns out to have many health benefits. Here are three reasons to include cheese in your food, according to the Express page.

Good for teeth

Cheese has high calcium levels and is very important for healthy bones and teeth. According to Bill Schaeffer, dental surgeon and co-founder of The Implant Center, calcium helps shape teeth and also contributes to a strong jawbone.

In addition, cheese helps lower pH levels in the mouth and helps fight plaque. Research shows eating cheese after eating sugary snacks can help the pH of saliva return to normal sooner, and thus reduce the risk of decay.

Cheese is indeed high in saturated fat, but also contains important nutrients. "We much prefer our patients to eat cheese rather than 'healthy' juice drinks that contain lots of sugar," Schaeffer said.

According to nutritionists in Lifesum, Kajsa Ernestam, the latest statistics from the UK government's National Diet and Nutrition Survey show that five percent of men and eight percent of women lack calcium.

Contains essential vitamins

Various types of cheese also contain various vitamins, including vitamins A, B2, B6, B12, D, and K. Vitamin A serves to help function the immune system.

Vitamin B2 helps maintain healthy skin, eyes and nervous system. Vitamin B6 helps form hemoglobin.

Vitamin B12 is involved in the production of red blood cells. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium in the body, and vitamin K is needed for blood clotting which helps to heal wounds well.

Good source of protein

Cheese is a good source of protein, an important nutrient that is responsible for building tissues, cells and muscles, and making hormones and antibodies. Ernestam recommends cheese, especially all quarks because of its high protein content. He explained that cheese contains complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids the body needs.

Panayis Manuelides, managing director of Greek and Mediterranean food producers Odysea, recommends feta cheese as a good source of protein, and also because the fat content is lower than some other cheeses.

The recommended cheese dish in the UK is 30 grams per day, which is the size of a matchbox. The UK guidelines recommend eating two to three servings of low-fat foods every day.

Kellow recommends choosing low-fat cheese to keep saturated fat intake low. Dieticians note reducing fat in cheese does not affect any nutrition, other than vitamin A which is lower in low-fat products.