It’s baaaaaaaaaack…Our next installment of our The Health Benefits of Fill-In-The-Blank Unlikely Foodstuff. 

Last time it was pasta, and today it’s an item we normally don’t associate with “good for you.” 

Who can blame us either? When something is as delicious as cheese–and associated with pizza, burgers, curds, and Opa!–how could it possibly enter the realm of healthy?  

That’s what we’re here for. Not only do we (shameless plug whisper) procure cheese and feature it in our gift baskets, but we’ve also conducted our research, leveraging the world’s foremost cheese scientists (the Internet) to coax out its health benefits. 

Read on, friends. 

High In Calcium

Dairy foods are high in calcium. 

Calcium is imperative for good bone and muscle health. Without it, bones and teeth grow slowly and struggle to recover from damage. Not good. Calcium is also known to prevent osteoporosis as we get older. Plus, foods high in calcium can help reduce blood pressure.

Packed With Protein 

Protein is the building block for our body’s cells, making muscle growth and recovery faster and providing us with energy. 

This essential nutrient is found in spades in cheese. In addition, the dairy fats in cheese contain Conjugated Linoleic acid (gesundheit!), which can help ease inflammation and even aid in the prevention of heart disease and obesity!

Below are popular cheese varieties and their nutritional content per average serving: 

Mozzarella 28g

• Calories – 85
• Protein – 6 grams
• Fat – 6 grams
• Carbs – 1 gram
• Sodium – 176 mg
• Calcium – 14% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Feta 28g

• Calories – 80
• Protein – 6 grams
• Fat – 5 grams
• Carbs – 1 gram
• Sodium – 370 mg
• Calcium – 10% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Ricotta 124g

• Calories – 180
• Protein – 12 grams
• Fat – 12 grams
• Carbs – 8 gram
• Sodium – 300 mg
• Calcium – 20% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Cheddar 28g

• Calories – 115
• Protein – 7 grams
• Fat – 9 grams
• Carbs – 1 gram
• Sodium – 180 mg
• Calcium – 20% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Parmesan 28g

• Calories – 110
• Protein – 10 grams
• Fat – 7 grams
• Carbs – 3 grams
• Sodium – 330 mg
• Calcium – 34% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Goat Cheese 28g

• Calories – 75
• Protein – 5 grams
• Fat – 6 grams
• Carbs – 0 grams
• Sodium – 130 mg
• Calcium – 4% of recommended daily intake (RDI)

Other Stuff

Along with calcium and protein, cheese is also crammed with other great stuff, including:

• Zinc
• Phosphorus
• Vitamins A and B-12
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Riboflavin

Did We Leave Something Out?

Failing to mention a certain substance found in food and always featured in these blogs is akin to The Academy snubbing famous people during the Oscars In Memoriam segment. 

Perish the thought, for ANTIOXIDANTS are alive and well in cheese! 

Yes, the antioxidant, glutathione, known to roam in certain dairy products, including cheese, is vital to brain health and fighting age-related neurodegeneration. Turns out you can have your cheese and brain health and eat them, too!

From possibly reducing our risk of heart disease and promoting gut health to helping prevent diabetes and osteoporosis, we see that cheese can play an important role in a healthy diet. 

You know where you can find some? In (🚨SHAMELESS🚨) this (🚨PLUG🚨) delicious BasketWorks gift basket (🚨ALERT🚨).

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