Mini-blog of the day: Leading source of saturated fat
Multiple choice - What is the leading source of saturated fat in American diets?
a. Beef
b. Milk
c. Cheese
The answer is cheese according to Marion Nestle, a university based nutritionist, in her recently published book "What to Eat." She goes on to explain that a hard cheese, like cheddar, may be one-third fat by weight (oh my!). Close to two-thirds of the fat in cheddar is saturated (bad fat). A slice of cheddar cheese or a few small cubes can have 120 calories and about 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of which are saturated.
Hmmm...my recipe for macaroni and cheese uses a pound of cheddar....it is so good that (in the old days) my husband and I could eat the "whole thing." No wonder I was fat.
Softer cheeses have more water in them and, therefore, have fewer calories. Low-fat or reduced-fat cheeses also have fewer calories and, of course, less fat and saturated fat than their whole fat versions.
So once again, as with all things that taste good, the key is moderation. Savor the complex flavor of a bite of a good blue or enjoy some crumbles of Bulgarian feta in your salad. But don't pile it on 2 inches thick and don't keep popping chunks of it in your mouth while you are cooking.
For more information about calorie counts and nutritional values of cheeses, check out PT's new calorie wiki. You can use it to upload calorie counts right into your daily log. Pretty cool?