Happy National Cheese Day!
Today, June 4th marks a very important day, National Cheese Day. With over 2,000 varieties of cheese it shouldn’t be hard to celebrate with some today. However, with this many varieties, forms, and cheese-filled recipes it can be hard to choose what yummy cheese snack to enjoy. Here are some helpful Key Nutrition tips to get your National Cheese day celebration started!
Serving Size
If there is one problem with cheese, it is that you can definitely end up eating too much. Cheese is great snack to have mid-day, a delicious addition to salads and sandwiches and also the perfect garnish for soups, but it can be challenging not to get carried away in eating too much.
One serving size of cheese is 1 ounce. This would be the size of one domino, 4 small playing dice, or 1 thin slice of pre-wrapped cheese or a cheese stick. Although the serving size of 1 ounce of cheese is consistent for every type, the calorie amount, fat content and protein content will vary. Below are examples of popular cheese types so you can see which are better for you and which are not. (Nutritional information for 1 ounce servings)
| Triple Cream Brie
130 Calories 4 g Protein 12 g Fat |
Cheddar
114 Calories 7 g Protein 9 g Fat |
| Gouda
113 Calories 7 g Protein 8 g Fat |
Gruyere
113 Calories 8 g Protein 8 g Fat |
| Provolone
98 Calories 7 g Protein 7 g Fat |
American
94 Calories 5 g Protein 7 g Fat |
| Manchego
90 Calories 7 g Protein 7 g Fat |
Fresh Mozzarella
70 Calories 5 g Protein 5 g Fat |
Pairings
A serving size of cheese may not seem like a filling snack. To turn cheese into a more complete and also nutrient dense snack, add a serving size of a fruit, vegetables, nuts or crackers that will pair nicely with the cheese you chose to eat. Here are some of our favorite cheese pairings:
Talula’s has a Grab ‘n Go Cheese pack with nuts and honey. This should be for sharing because it has more than one serving of cheese!
Fresh mozzarella and sliced tomato and basil
Cheddar and apple slices
Provolone and roasted red pepper spread
Gouda cheese and pear slices
Manchego cheese and almonds or almond crackers
Gruyere and grapes
Brie and berries
What type of cheese to choose?
Not only are there different types or flavors of cheese, but there are also different forms of cheese sold. When looking in a grocery store or market you will see packaged cheese, processed cheese, artisan cheese, farmers cheese and fresh cheese varieties. So, which do you choose?
When choosing cheese, you always want to try to go for the natural cheese such as organic, artisan, fresh or farmers cheese. Natural cheese is made of products using only simple and natural ingredients including fresh high quality milk, salt, enzymes and natural colors. Natural cheese such as fresh mozzarella, cottage cheese and queso fresco tend to have lower sodium than other types. Processed or packaged cheese is made with preservatives, artificial ingredients and double the amount of salt used than that of natural cheese. Processed cheese tends to be more fattening, contributes to high blood pressure and overall not heart friendly. However, all cheese contains higher amounts of sodium and fat so that is why it is important to enjoy cheese in moderation.
Celebrating the Day
Now that you have the low-down on all the different types and kinds, we hope you are in the perfect cheese-mood. Stop by your local market or grocery store to pick up some fresh or artisan cheeses to eat as a snack or share with friends. We stopped by Talula’s Daily Market (located right next to Key Nutrition) to get our cheese fix for the day. Below are our delicious finds. Happy National Cheese day!
Sarah Domino, Penn State Intern
