We’re gonna talk about cheese today, and I think we’re all here for one reason…
it’s delicious .
Cheese is too delicious to resist. It’s extremely unfair, in fact… how delicious yet unbearably high calorie cheese can be.
No seriously, if cheese didn’t exist, I don’t even know what I’d do. Probably wish for a world with cheese.
Oh, do you need more reasons to eat cheese? How about the fact that cheese is great for your teeth too! That’s right, calcium levels through the roof, plus it lowers the level of bacteria in your mouth to keep your teeth clean.
Enough said. Cheese has got some health benefits (1).
Here are the 14 healthiest cheeses to chow down on:
1. Cheddar
Personal admission: I like cheddar the best of all cheeses. The sharper the better. It’s got slightly more calories than other types of cheeses, but who cares – it tastes that good.
Serving size: 1 slice (28 g), 113 calories, 7 g protein, 9 g fat, 20% calcium, 14% phosphorus
Plus, there are other fatty foods that have health benefits too (2).
2. Bleu Cheese
If you want the best cheese named after a misspelled color, your best bet is to reach directly for the bleu cheese. Be careful – it’s got more sodium than most other cheeses, but also be careful, it’s good with literally every food. I’ve had bleu cheese in ice cream before, and yes it was amazing.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 99 calories, 6 g protein, 8 g fat, 1 g carbs, 15% calcium, 16% sodium
Related: 5 Surprising Ways to Eat Cheese For Weight Loss
3. Part Skim Mozzarella
The plus is that mozzarella has less calories than most other types of cheese. The other plus is that mozzarella with tomato, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette tastes divine .
Now, cheese probably isn’t the best way to lower your blood pressure, but there are other more delicious ways to do it.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 71 calories, 7 g protein, 4 g fat, 1 g carbs, 22% calcium, 13% phosphorus
4. Swiss
Swiss cheese is great. it comes with holes in it. that’s cool.
It’s also got calcium, protein, and vitamin B12. Oh, and it’s great on sandwiches. What more do you want?
Serving size: 1 slice (28 g), 106 calories, 8 g protein, 8 g fat, 2 g carbs, 22% calcium, 16% vitamin B12, 16% phosphorus
5. Monterey Jack
This cheese is mild and soft (like my standup) and it’s great on a sandwich (like my standup). You’ll find pepperjack cheese everywhere, which is just Monterey jack cheese with pepper flakes inside it, so that begs the question of why they even sell Monterey jack in the first place if all anyone wants is pepperjack. I don’t know, it’s delicious.
One thing to note here: if you’re trying to lose weight, please, I’m begging you, don’t cut cheese from your diet. Cut these other foods instead. Thank you.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 104 calories, 7 g protein, 8 g fat, 20% calcium
6. Manchego
This harder cheese from Spain is made from sheeps milk and is crafted in an incredibly specific way – so specific they’re not even allowed to make it outside of certain parts of Spain. Good cheese is good.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 120 calories, 7 g protein, 10 g fat, 30% calcium
7. Colby Cheese
If you’re too much of a wuss to eat real cheddar, I will judge you – and you can have this delicious alternative. It’s great on salads and has a milder taste.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 110 calories, 7 g protein, 9 g fat, 1 g carbs, 19% calcium, 13% phosphorus
Plus, if you’re the type to get cravings between meals, this can help you.
8. Goat Cheese (Chevre)
Whether you call it by its fancy French name or its bastardized American one, know that you’re going to get a cheese that’s low in saturated fat and high in delicious .
If you’ve ever enjoyed a Greek salad, this cheese is probably 90% of the reason why.
Serving size: 1 oz, semisoft (28 g), 102 calories, 6 g protein, 8 g fat, 1 g carbs, 11% riboflavin, 10% phosphorus, 8% calcium
9. Part Skim Ricotta
This is the stuff they put in cannoli, so you know it’s gonna be good. It’s low calorie, made from whey, high in amino acids, and tastes amazing. Done deal.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 39 calories, 3 g protein, 2 g fat, 1 g carbs, 8% calcium
10. Gruyere Cheese
This is the cheese everyone thinks about when they hear “French cheese”. Well, except for French people, but they don’t count. You’ll get less sodium in this cheese than many others, which is a plus, and another plus is that it tastes amazing .
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 116 calories, 8 g protein, 9 g fat, 28% calcium, 17% phosphorus
11. Parmesan Cheese
If you’ve ever eaten any Italian food ever, in your entire life, you’ve eaten parmesan cheese. And honestly, thank the lord for Italians, because parmesan cheese is the best, and I will fight you if you disagree.
Serving size: 1 oz, hard (28 g), 110 calories, 10 g protein, 7 g fat, 1 g carbs, 33% calcium, 19% phosphorus, 19% sodium
12. Brie Cheese
Honestly, I have to admit something here – I don’t care for brie cheese. Plus, it doesn’t really have much nutrition for you, or calcium, in a calorie heavy package. A rare miss for the cheese category.
more: Take The Quiz – Do You Know The Unique Veggies That Burn Abdominal Fat?
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 94 calories, 6 g protein, 8 g fat, 9% riboflavin, 8% vitamin B12, 5% calcium
13. Cottage Cheese
A staple in your aunt’s weird diet for years, cottage cheese gives you a lot of vegetarian protein in a low calorie package – albeit with a ton of salt involved.
Try the low sodium version to keep yourself healthy.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 20 calories, 3 g protein, <0 g fat, 1 g carbs, 5% sodium, 4% selenium, 4% phosphorus
14. Robiola Cheese
If your first thought was “what the hell is robiola cheese?” you’re not alone. You’re also missing out. It’s a soft Italian cheese with a super rich taste – perfect for crackers or crusty white bread… or sweet fruits. Go to town.
Serving size: 1 oz (28 g), 90 calories, 4.5 g protein, 8 g fat
Things To Remember:
If you’re looking for healthier cheeses, a good rule of thumb is that soft cheeses are generally going to have less calories than hard cheeses – because they have more water per bite. You’re also going to get less sodium in softer cheeses.
If you’re going to eat cheese healthily, the most important thing to remember is portion control. Yes, hacking off 1/3 of the block of cheese and cramming it into your mouth feels great, but it’s not healthy for you, no matter how healthy the cheese is. Pre-cut the amount of cheese you want to eat and put the rest of the block away to prevent overeating.
Oh, and buy organic if you can and want to be super healthy. You won’t have any antibiotics or hormones in your cheese, and the animals will have been treated better.
In summary…
The Healthiest Cheeses To Eat
- Cheddar
- Bleu Cheese
- Part Skim Mozzarella
- Swiss
- Monterey Jack
- Manchego
- Colby Cheese
- Goat Cheese (Chevre)
- Part Skim Ricotta
- Gruyere Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Brie Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Robiola Cheese
I like cheese. Especially with a good glass of wine. I just have to learn how to match them up. I hear there are certain cheeses that go with the wine, but I never really cared up until now.
Cheese is good for you. I like this list, there are a few I never heard of so I felt like I learned something today !
One of my favorites is Monterey jack cheese. I like the combination and putting it on pizza is the best!
I have been a cheesehead all of my life living in Wisconsin and this is a great list of healthy cheeses. Good job!
I love cheese. I go to a cheese factory to get cheese once per month and my husband and I always get something new to try out.
What I tend to find is that fresh cheese is so much more salty. That does not work for me and I feel like I am not getting any benefit from having more sodium in my diet.
Cheese is not really “healthy” for you in the amounts that I see it eaten. It is all about moderation.
My favorite cheese is cheddar without any doubt. I tend to lean towards that anytime that I can.
I always wondered what Cottage Cheese was exactly. I eat it all the time with fruit, but never really looked into it this way.
I was wondering the same thing each time I ate it. Very good with fruit in it!
I love swiss cheese. It looks cool, like you said, but there is also something about having it on my sandwich that adds a nice flavor.
I have never been a big fan of cheese. I try different types thinking “this will be the one”, but it will not be. Is that ok for my body?
Yeah, big deal, right?
I am shocked that I read how healthy cheese really is for you. With so many different kinds, it is amazing if you could not have it associated with ALL of your meals.
Cheese can be very healthy for you. The fact that I like so many different kinds of cheese has given me the chance to open my mind about different foods.
I LOVE cheddar cheese. I put it on everything that I can. Now that I know there are some health benefits with it, that is even better!
So many different cheeses. I live in Wisconsin and I am not even aware of all these different types. Great post!
Isn’t it crazy? So many different types and each of them goes with their own wine :)
That is a whole other story. Getting the right wine that tastes good with the cheese. I would rather just taste the cheese :)
Cheese can be healthy for you? I have always heard that it was not a good thing to have in your diet. I always thought though that if you were going to eat it, you just eat it a little at a time.
I was always told that cheese is not that good for you. The list you have here, however, has some cheese on it that I never heard of. Could it be that just basic cheddar is not good for you?
Well, it is not good for you if you are going to eat a block of it at one time LOL. Moderation is key. Putting cheese on a sandwich or in your salad is totally fine!
Cheese is good. It also looks like it is good for you. People always freak out when you talk about cheese in a diet, but it has a lot of essential things your body needs. It is a good source of protein, so it is great after a workout.
Nothing wrong with a little bit of cheese right? I live in Wisconsin, where the cheese grows and there are very FEW places that you can go that do not serve some sort of cheese like the ones you have listed here.
People love cheese, Wisconsin makes the best cheese and even the moon is made from cheese so why wouldn’t it be good for you?
Wow, there are so many different kinds of cheeses, I can hardly believe it. I never even heard of many of these. It helps to be educated in things like this too.
And this isn’t even the entire list. That is the best part.
Eating too much cheese can be very bad for your body. In moderation, there is no reason why you could not enjoy some of these :)
Everything in moderation, even moderation :)
I personally like cheese. All kinds of cheese and with the right cracker or piece of bread, you can really get the flavor of the cheese in your mouth. I have been thinking about wine and cheese these days, but I do not think I would be much of a wine person.
It is funny how there are so many cheeses and people really like them, but if you think about it, what flavor does cheese really add to a dish?
I do not think it adds any flavor at all. It is what I call a zero factor in a meal.