The best cheeses for heart disease are the ones with less saturated fat and sodium. Swiss cheese is probably the best choice, with only 53 mg of sodium per ounce. Mozzarella, goat and ricotta cheeses also fall on the lower side of the sodium scale, with about 130 milligrams per serving.
Calcium can help reduce blood pressure. Low-fat, low-sodium cheeses are recommended. A suitable low-sodium cheese would be low-fat or reduced-fat natural Swiss cheese. Other low-fat cheeses include cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, feta, and goat's cheese, and low-fat cream cheese.
Keep cheese portions small and weigh them to reduce temptation. Using lower-fat cheeses – such as mozzarella, feta, cottage cheese or reduced-fat cheeses – will provide less saturated fat.
Some of the healthiest cheeses are feta and goat cheese, which are better for lactose intolerance. Cottage cheese and ricotta have more than 11 grams of muscle-building protein in a single serving. Swiss cheese is naturally lower in sodium, so it is a good option for people with hypertension.
Probiotics found in Swiss cheeses - such as Emmental and Gruyère – could help reduce inflammation and subsequently boost immunity. These probiotics, which are also found in other dairy products such as milk, can also improve signs of ageing, the study claims.
Nutritionally haloumi cheese contains slightly less fat (26 per cent) than regular cheddar cheese but more than double the sodium content thanks to the brine used to preserve it. Haloumi is delicious, and as such one of the biggest issues it poses is the risk of overeating.
Swiss, provolone, Cheddar and Gouda are some examples. According to 2019 research in the Journal of Dairy Science, cheese may offer a stable environment for probiotics to live in, thanks to its high fat content, pH and high water activity.
Fresh cheese
"They also tend to be lowest in fats and cholesterol." A serving of cottage cheese or ricotta will pack a healthy dose of protein, and they're typically lower in calories; half a cup of cottage cheese is roughly 110 calories.
'Halloumi is high in protein (to help you maintain and grow your lean muscle mass), contains calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), phosphorus (for bone health), zinc (for cognitive, immune and fertility functions), iodine (for thyroid and cognitive function) and vitamin A (to support your immunity, vision and skin),' ...
“If your diet, in general, is very low in saturated fats and sodium, having two to three ounces of cheese a day may be safe,” says Supan. “If you're trying to eat healthy or have any heart concerns, I would try to stick to one ounce of high-quality cheese a day, or maybe even less than that a few times a week.”
Pick High-Protein and Calcium-Rich Options
To boost your calcium and protein intake the most, check out cottage cheese or parmesan. Other high protein options include Swiss, cheddar, gouda, ricotta, mozzarella, or Colby. You can also substitute quark cheese for Greek yogurt to pump up your protein even more.
While feta cheese provides you with an excellent source of nutrients like calcium and protein, it also contains high amounts of sodium and saturated fat. Feta is lower in fat than many other cheeses, however, and is considered a reasonable option to eat in moderation.
If you're looking for the leanest option, your best bet is fresh cheese. Such unripened cheeses include goat cheese, feta, ricotta and cottage cheese.
The type of cheeses that require some aging are the firm or crumbly cheeses like cheddar, gouda, camembert, and parmesan-types of cheeses. These lend themselves well to the aging process due to the intensity of their flavor and aroma. Similar to fine wine, cheese gets better with age.
Reduced-Fat Cheeses
These include part-skim mozzarella, string cheeses, farmer's cheese, and Neufchâtel. Goat cheese is lower in fat and has fewer calories than cow's milk cheese.
Nonfat cheddar cheese: It contains 5mg of cholesterol and 0g of saturated fat per one-ounce serving. Ricotta cheese: This lasagna staple has under 9mg of cholesterol and 1.4g of saturated fat per ounce. Swiss cheese: One slice of Swiss has less than 1g of saturated fat and 10mg of cholesterol.
Other lower-cholesterol choices include an ounce of part-skim mozzarella cheese, which contains 15 milligrams -- compared to whole mozzarella's 22 milligrams -- and an ounce of provolone cheese, which has 20 milligrams of cholesterol. An ounce of Swiss cheese is another lower-cholesterol option with 26 milligrams.