Does Cheese Make You Fat? That's a Loaded Question

Does cheese make you fat?

Many years ago I attended a parochial high school. One summer they sponsored a European study abroad trip for students and I signed up to go. We went to three countries. Of course we went to Italy to see the Pope. We also went to England and Amsterdam.

This may seem odd but one of the things I remember most from that trip was the delicious cheese I had in Amsterdam. It was so good I had some shipped home so I could keep eating it after the trip.

There is something about cheese that I have loved for years.

So why don't I eat cheese today?

There is so much medical experts and researchers have uncovered about cheese and our health. Let's take a quick look at just three health questions on the topic of cheese.

Does cheese make you fat?
Does cheese tend to be addictive?
Does cheese cause health problems?

Does cheese make you fat?

According to Harvard School of Public Health, "Pizza and cheese are the biggest food sources of saturated fat in the U.S. diet... " they go onto say, "... keep your intake of saturated fats as low as possible... "

Dr. Neal Barnard MD of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine points out that 70% of calories in cheese are from fat. Saturated fat is the dominant fat in cheese. What does our body do when it takes in excess fat from high fat foods? People's growing waistlines shows it stores the fat.

There is another challenge that adds to the weight gaining issue with people eating cheese. There is no fiber in cheese. That means it takes longer to get that feeling of being full, so people tend to eat even more cheese.

Does cheese tend to be addictive?

Salt - The sodium content in cheese is very high. There is 368 mg of sodium in just one slice of American Cheese

"Research shows that consuming salt triggers the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the brain's pleasure center, making salty foods as addictive as nicotine and alcohol." Prevention.com

Fat - What adds appealing taste to foods is fat. Olive oil is pure fat and people love how it makes their salads taste. Cheese has a very high fat content which is another reason people love it's taste and want more.

Casein - The main protein in cheese is casein. When consumed it becomes something called casomorphins which is an opioid which is addictive. Nature designed it this way so young nursing mammals would want to have the milk they need in early life to live.

Human milk contains two types of proteins: whey and casein. Approximately 60% is whey, while 40% is casein.

On the other hand cows milk 82% is casein and 18% is whey. It takes 10 pounds of cow's milk to make one pound of cheese so the concentration of casein is very high.

Does that explain why people have such a hard time with the idea of cutting back or giving up cheese in their diet?

Fat, salt, and casein make it addictive and very difficult to give up.

Does cheese cause health problems?

Let's look at the situation logically. Cheese is a substance that is very high in saturated fat. Cheese is a substance that is very addictive as see by our increasing consumption over the years.

Is it any wonder cheese promotes obesity which leads to health problems like heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes to name just a few

Is it any wonder with all that salt it contains it promotes high blood pressure?

Cheese is loaded with health promoting problems and American diets are loaded with cheese.

So as much as I enjoyed that cheese in Amsterdam, today I do not eat cheese and I feel great. There are so many other delicious food options today I don't even missed it.

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