Have you ever gone to your GP to have your cholesterol is too high? You’re not alone. In the United States, almost 94 million adults Age 20 and older have total cholesterol levels greater than 240 milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dL). The average healthy adult should have less than 200 mg/dL.
If you are running the risk of high cholesterol, your doctor has probably told you to cut back on some of the favorite foods you add to your diet most often. Cheese is usually recommended food to stay away from. So if cheese is on your shopping list, you’ll want to listen.
Not all cheeses will have an impact on your cholesterol. However, there are some that could increase those levels if you’re not careful. According to molly femaleMS, RDLDa registered dietitian and member of our board of medical experts, cheeses high in saturated fat are the worst for cholesterol levels.
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“There is a strong correlation between high intake of saturated fat and elevated levels of total and LDL cholesterol in the blood,” says Hembree.
According to Hembree, the average healthy adult should strive to consume less than 22 grams of saturated fat intake per day. That equates to less than 10% of total calories. However the American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 6% saturated fat of total calories per day (or about 13 grams).
However, the trickiest part of all of this is finding cheeses that are not high in saturated fat. There are so many Types of cheesesbut not all of them are a healthy snack for cholesterol.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of variation in the types of full-fat cheese and their total fat and saturated fat content,” explains Hembree.
For example, Hembree asserts that Parmesan and Swiss cheeses, whether block, cubed or crushed They contain about 8 grams of total fat and 5 grams of saturated fat per 1-ounce serving. Brie cheese has about 9 grams of total fat and 6 grams of saturated fat per 1-ounce serving. Cheddar cheese has about 10 grams of total fat and 6 grams of saturated fat per 1-ounce serving.
“The one thing that really stands out is the feta cheese, which has 5 grams of total fat and 3 grams of saturated fat per 1-ounce serving,” says Hembree. “However, this still makes it high in saturated fat.”
Low-fat cheese alternatives
If you just can’t live without cheese in your refrigerator’s cheese drawer, there are some alternatives you can eat.
“Choose fat-free, reduced-fat, or low fat cheese options like reduced-fat shredded cheese, plain fat-free cheese, reduced-fat crumbled feta, or light string cheese,” suggests Hembree.
Kayla Garritano
Kayla Garritano is a staff writer for Eat This, Not That! She is a graduate of Hofstra University, where she majored in Journalism and double majored in Marketing and Creative Writing. read more
