by Tami M. Best / Democrat & Chronicle
Question: Which is the healthier — hard cheese or soft cheese?
— B.D., Pittsford
Answer: Generally speaking hard cheese varieties are the more nutrient-packed choice.
Because hard aged cheese has a lower water content ounce for ounce than younger soft cheese, it tends to be richer in nutrients such as protein, calcium and other minerals.
Most hard cheese varieties such as Cheddar will provide about 150 milligrams of calcium per ounce and about 6 grams of protein.
Soft cheeses such as goat cheese only have about 20 milligrams of calcium per ounce and 3 grams of protein.
The best bet, however, is to read the nutrition facts label.
Try to choose cheese that is reduced or low fat and lower in sodium.
For example, a full fat Cheddar cheese will have about 100 calories and 8 grams of fat per ounce.
Changing to a reduced fat Cheddar cheese will save 50 calories and 5 grams of fat per ounce.
As a bonus, those cheeses still provide as much calcium and protein as the full fat variety.
Also look at the labels for cheese that has less than 140 milligrams of sodium per ounce.
Most hard cheeses are lower in sodium than soft cheese. Beware of processed "American"-style cheese slices.
These cheeses have about half the calcium and protein as natural cheese and deliver twice as much sodium.
They might even contain harmful trans fats.
Cheese spreads such as cream cheese also are not the best choice. They offer very little or no calcium and protein.
Switching to lower-fat cream cheese will save calories.
Consider using nut butters or regular cheese in place of cream cheese for a more nutrient-packed bagel topping. Look for other spread options made from yogurt, which pack in more nutrition than the traditional varieties.
Finally, keep portions of any cheese small. A one-ounce serving of cheese is about the size of a standard domino.
Using grated full-flavored cheeses such as Parmesan is easy to spread out in a recipe, and a small amount adds a lot of flavor.
Tami M. Best, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., C.D.E., is director of diabetes education at Thompson Health.
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