October
2007
Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate?
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Is cheese healthy?
Is cheese healthy? I get asked this question a lot, and I do want to preface it by stating that if there were a definitive answer, we’d probably know it by now. I’m not a big dairy advocate, especially not in light of the way so much of it is processed and manipulated to death, but I don’t completely avoid cheese, either. My personal view of cheese is that it’s on the “okay” list. I eat it occasionally, but it’s not a major source of my calories. But let’s consider the issue further. This post is by no means the last word on cheese, but I hope these thoughts will be helpful to you if you’re debating whether or not to keep cheese in your diet. (And I welcome your thoughts as always. Even you vegans.)
There’s no doubt Grok would have devoured a cheese plate. To be fair, Grok would have devoured nearly anything, including Captain Crunch and cupcakes. Food was hard to come by before the advent of agriculture, let alone grocery stores. Humans have been utilizing the milk of mammals outside our own species for at least 8,000 years, and possibly longer than that (probably coinciding with the shift away from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to our modern grain-based agricultural system). Milk, and its various processed varieties - e.g. sour cream and cheese - surely provided useful fat and protein for old Grok, and it follows that we can benefit as well. Humans haven’t changed significantly since the agricultural transition. However, we know that the human body did not evolve on a grain-based diet; grain was introduced after the final blueprint, as it were, had already evolved. If you can make a case against grains, you can possibly make a case against dairy as well. My personal opinion is that - to be blunt - while humans come with our own milk and don’t “need” the milk of other animals, a little cheese is not something to fret over. Really, my only major concern is the type of cheese you’re eating. You can take any “natural” food and with enough processing, dyes, flavorings, homogenizing and pasteurizing turn a perfectly dense source of fuel into empty calories. Cheese is very high in saturated fat - again, for me personally, this isn’t a huge nutritional concern - but the major issue I would caution you to consider is the heavy processing most modern day “cheese” goes through.
There’s a good amount of debate about the superiority of some cheeses vs. others. Those who follow Atkins or very high fat diets will actually go for the higher fat triple creams such as brie (I’m making myself hungry here). Others recommend only sparing amounts of aged cheese for flavor. In general I would say stay away from the processed and reduced-fat varieties and go for either raw or minimally-processed cheeses. There are plenty of raw producers now, if you do a little web searching. It’s wise to check out the facilities of the raw dairy farm if you can; though raw dairy, and cheese, is richer in nutrition by far than the pasteurized stuff, cleanliness is paramount. As for minimally processed cheeses, many European favorites fit that bill. I personally enjoy a little manchego or feta from time to time, but I’m just not a big cheese guy. Further, I really recommend yogurts and kefir over cheese. The former are fermented and highly nutritious, while the latter is processed in a way that increases acidity. Now THAT gets us into pretty interesting territory, and I think another post is warranted after you jump in.
The only other major issue here is the digestion factor, which brings us back round to our evolutionary history. Not everyone produces lactase, the enzyme necessary to digest lactose, a sugar in milk. The benefit of cheese is that it is fairly low in lactose in comparison to milk, so for die-hard dairy lovers or vegetarians, cheese may be a reasonable choice. What I don’t recommend is relying on cheese for your calcium needs or loading up your kids with it (although I think raw is probably just fine). You don’t “need” cheese. Remember, bone health is about so much more than calcium. You need a whole host of vital minerals, some of which Americans are shockingly deficient in. Moreover, reasonable sun exposure and frequent weight-bearing activity are just as important to bone health as calcium.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
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I don’t know if cheese is healthy but I love so much!!!!
The bad news is that the cheese I eat is processed but the good news is that I eat very little of it. My breakfast at work is two eggs on Canadian bacon with just a little shredded mozzarella (from a bag) on top. I’ll also have a little cottage cheese with fruit two or three times a week as an evening snack. I’ve been trying to find Greek yogurt here without luck. Our local Sun Harvest which was bought out by Wild Oats which was bought out by Whole Foods used to carry it; however, they dropped it before I got a chance to try it. I would like to try that as a substitute for the cottage cheese.
Bottom cheese line for me… “A flavor enhancer”
Every now and then some feta in my salad. (Or in my tomato, cucumber and feta salad.)
Last night I made a ratatouille with zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper and a splash of tomato sause, to make it extra tasty, I put three small thin slices of fresh mozzarella on top and put it under the broiler.
I don’t buy the manchego much….because when I do, I eat too many olives and drink too much wine
I’m all for the unprocessed cheeses, because they are utterly delicious. And generally, one small piece is enough. Kefir, though, I can drink the whole bottle at once. Mmm.
I like your thoughts Mark.
Dave-sometimes if you ask, a health food store will order it for you. I’m always asking for stuff(win some, lose some). I like fage greek yogurt.
Good word Mark…I concur. I don’t avoid cheese, but it isn’t a major part of my diet either. Sometimes I’ll pick up a small block of some cheese that I love at the farmer’s market from a raw producer, usually their amazing bleu cheese. I then either chop a small slice and eat it alone or crumble some on my salad.
That said, I also think that dairy is not necessary. Dairy is only “necessary” because people are convinced they need the calcium, yet Americans consume the most (or nearly the most) dairy in the world and have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis…something doesn’t compute. I think our nutrition advisers missed the day they taught acid-base balance and that magnesium and vitamin D are necessary for bone health, along with load-bearing activity.
My order of preference is no dairy, then raw dairy, and finally pasteurized dairy. Although pasteurized doesn’t have much nutrition remaining.
Cheers
Scott Kustes
Modern Forager
Crystal:
Thanks! Fage is what the store used to carry. I think that there is a large supermarket cross town that might have it–I’m going to try and hit it this weekend.
[...] Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate? [...]
Personally a glass of Bordeaux with kefir does not appeal much
But on that note, as Mark says, most of what masquerades as cheese these days doesn’t go well with fine red wine either.
As with wine(and EVOO and balsamic vinegar), cheese made the right way should cost much more than cheese made the wrong way. So compare the price per pound of a bag of Kraft shredded to Widmer’s 6-year aged cheddar and you’ll see what I mean. The taste will also be an indicator in comparing the two - why does anyone even LIKE the taste of that crappy kind of cheese on their food?
And that last paragraph will ensure that you don’t eat too much of it anyway…
[...] Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate? [...]
Let me just say I love cheese. I get my cheese from a farmer down the road. They use raw milk from grass fed cows. If you want they will let you sit and watch them make the cheese. I eat a lot less cheese now that I am on a paleo diet.
[...] carb diets out there.) Logic should tell you that, even if you’re not ready to meet our good man, Grok, on his level, any reduction in carbs will make a difference. (And, of course, refined carbs should [...]
[...] Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate? [...]
[...] Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate? [...]