If you love cheese, you are not alone. Statistics show that on average each American consumes up to 40 pounds of cheese per year. But this is not surprising. I packed it in a sandwich, melted it in pizza, and piled it high on a plate of pork. No matter what, cheese seems to be everywhere. Cheese is definitely delicious, but it can cause drawbacks and unintended health side effects.
To get started, many varieties contain calories, fat, and sodium, which can have a negative impact on your physical health. Others are high in tyramine, which is known to trigger migraines and headaches. Studies linking cheese intake to chronic illness are inconsistent, but if you encounter a nasty problem that you can’t determine the cause, you can regularly monitor how much you eat this dairy product. It is important.
Due to its sodium and fat content, Dr. Akua Woolbright, director of national nutrition programs at Whole Foods’ non-profit Whole Cities Foundation, limits cheese by sticking to 1 ounce of hard cheese or 1/2 cup of soft cheese. It is recommended. time. “One way to do this is to buy stronger flavored varieties so that you can add more flavor to your food in smaller quantities,” she says. Some great hard cheese options include Parmesan cheese, feta cheese and Switzerland. “Replacing whole milk cheese with low-fat and low-fat options can take you one step further, and if you’re interested in reducing your sodium intake, avoid feta and hard cheeses. “
If you want to reduce your cheese consumption or give up altogether, read below to see some of the benefits of doing so. From improving skin tone to relieving headaches, giving up cheese can have amazing effects on both the body and mind.
When lowering cheese and dairy products, intake can have a positive effect on both skin tone and texture. This is because dairy products are associated with excessive oil production. Dr. Maia Beringer, a specialist in internal medicine, said, “Reducing cheese can help improve skin color because it can overproduce and produce sebum, which can clog pores. There is. “
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If you have frequent migraine headaches, a diet high in cheese and dairy products may be the cause. “Reducing cheese may reduce headaches and migraines caused by the effects of tyramine in cheese,” explains Beringer. Tyramine is a naturally occurring compound in plant and animal products. Studies show that large amounts of tyramine in the body can cause headaches and migraines.
Eating excess cheese may also adversely affect the weight loss goals you may have. “Reducing cheese may help you lose weight,” says Beringer. This is due to the sugar, fat and calories commonly found in cheese. For example, a serving of 100 grams of cheddar can contain up to 33 grams of fat. It may help to reduce cheese or choose a low-fat or non-fat option instead.
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Reducing consumption of cheese, and generally dairy products, may help reduce the risk of cancer. This is because reducing the intake of cheese reduces the intake of casein, a protein in milk that may be associated with the disease.
“Casein has been shown to increase tumor growth rates for certain types of tumors, including prostate and potential breast cancer,” said Dana Ellis Hunnes PhD, Senior Nutritionist and UCLA Associate Professor at the UCLA Medical Center. , MPH, RD states.Fielding School of Public Health, and New Author of Cambridge University Press Survival recipe (2022). “Eating a lot of cheese, which is mainly made from the casein fraction, can increase that risk.”
Reducing cheese intake is not only good for your health, but it can also be good for Mother Earth. “Generally, you need a lot of water to produce milk,” Hunnes points out. She shares that, in contrast to the average plant-based milk, three times as much water is needed to produce dairy milk.
“From an environmental point of view, cheese consumes a great deal of resources,” says Hunnes. “It takes a lot of land to produce enough milk to make a pound of cheese, thousands of gallons of water to produce a pound of cheese, and a large amount of methane from the cow itself. Will be released. “
Owners of Bess Berger, RDN, CDN, and Nutrition by Bess point out that cheese and dairy products contain many additives, preservatives, and hormones that can cause irritation to the body. increase. “As a PCOS dietitian, I see women taking out dairy products and reporting that headaches and other inflammatory reactions have subsided,” says Berger. “Unfortunately, the quality of dairy products today is much lower and changed than it was 20 years ago. This affects many of us and I always see this in women.”
If you still want to eat cheese, we recommend choosing one with less additives. “Cheese with a low amount of processed cheese is a little healthier than other cheeses,” Funes suggests. “If you’re going to eat cheese, it’s a good idea to eat as much cheese as possible from a humanely grown farm, with as few ingredients as possible.”
If you are suffering from digestive problems and are experiencing frequent bloating, you can get rid of this by cutting or limiting cheese and dairy products. “For many, dairy products can cause stomach upset and bloating due to either a lack of the proper enzymes to break down lactose or a real allergy,” says Balance One Supplement Management. Trista Best, a nutritionist, environmental hygiene expert and assistant, says nutrition professor.
“A sufficient deficiency of lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose, is lactose intolerance and is known to experience excessive gastrointestinal upset and bloating when ingesting dairy products. “Masu,” adds Vest. If you feel this might be you, try choosing a dairy-free cheese.
