Sunday, December 16, 2012

Is Feta Cheese Fattening? 10 Things You Should Know

Is feta cheese fattening? How much calories in feta cheese? What is the nutritional value of feta cheese? For starters, what is feta cheese anyway? Is it the same as any ordinary cheese out there in the market? Feta, in simplest terms, is crumbly cheese. It is a crumbly yet firm cheese produced from goat or sheep milk. It is salty and is originally made from Greece. Nowadays, it is produced from almost any country. However, it is still rampantly used as basic ingredient in most Greek menus.

Love pasta? Sure enough, this lovable cheese could not be left behind. But what makes it different from the ordinary cheese? Is feta cheese fattening? What is the nutritional value of feta cheese? Here are some straight facts from the connoisseurs of cheese. To add, here are 10 things that you should absolutely have to know.

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One, is feta cheese fattening? A surprising fact, on the other hand, is that feta cheese actually has fewer calories than most type of cheeses. How much calories in feta cheese are there then? A 3.5 ounce feta cheese only has 264 calories. Although it is still a bit high in number but it is still widely lower than whole milk cheeses – well, add ricotta and mozzarella as an exception. However, 3.5 ounces of feta cheese only has 21 grams of calories from fat, which means that the cheese has more protein compared to fat and that makes it a good addition to most salad greens and salad wraps.

Two, everybody knows that most types of cheeses are made from milk regardless if it is a cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s. However, true feta cheese is exclusively sheep’s and never cow’s milk.

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Three, feta cheese is originally made from sheep’s milk. Later, however, production evolved and feta was then made from goat’s milk. However, there were problems involving feta cheese made from cow’s milk and safety issues soon followed. To avoid confusion, most cheese enthusiasts recommend choosing feta cheese made from sheep’s milk – just to be safe, that is.

Four, to enjoy original feta cheese, Greece is the sure-fire answer. If you’re not fond of travelling look for feta cheese made from Greece –available in any local supermarket. The EU has recently enacted a “Program Designation of Origin” and it is a mandate that feta cheese must be originally made in Greece with 70% sheep’s milk.

Five, feta cheese is extremely high in sodium. Roquefort and blue cheese might just be the only ones a notch higher in sodium than feta cheese. If you have kidney issues, hypertension, or in a strict low sodium diet, simply soak feta cheese in lukewarm water before serving to decrease its sodium content.

Six, although feta cheese might be having sodium content problems, it still has its benefits. Feta cheese, especially traditional artisanal feta and other raw cheeses are known to have advantageous probiotic cultures and active enzymes for good digestion. Raw cheeses, when aged more than 60 days, is assuredly legal in any state.

Seven, is feta cheese fattening? When it comes to calories in feta cheese, one ounce of feta can yield as much as 75 calories. To add, it has 6.03 grams of fat wherein 4.23 grams is saturated fat.

Eight, unfortunately, having too much of this Greek goodness can increase the chance of cholesterol and heart disease. To add, it might also increase the risk of diabetes mellitus. However, it still depends on the calories you consume every day – that is according to Mayo Clinic.

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Nine, when it comes to nutritional value of feta cheese, calcium in feta can actually prevent osteoporosis. The cheese also contains a generous amount of B vitamins.

Ten, in conclusion, feta is nutritious yet one has to watch the quantity he or she is having. Is feta cheese fattening? It still depends on the amount you’re having.