Cheese on a diet - can you eat it and what kind, how to choose calorie content, variety and composition

Each of us wants to stay slim or wants to achieve the “ideal” figure for ourselves. Agree, it’s hard to resist when there’s a lot of goodies around. But proper nutrition is no less tasty if you know some tricks. For example, I really love low-calorie cheese. We have many PP recipes for meat, salads and vegetables with cheese. But what kind of cheese should you add to your diet if you are watching your figure and health?

Tofu

(soy milk cheese) is the lowest calorie cheese and has the lowest fat content. Only 2 - 4.5 g of fat per 100 g and calorie content - 85.3 kcal. The protein in this cheese is 9.7 g, note that this is vegetable protein, it is absorbed much better than animal protein. For people with lactose intolerance, this cheese can completely replace milk. It tastes like Adyghe cheese or unsalted feta cheese. Soy cheese can be eaten salty with spices and herbs, or sweet with honey or fruit.

Cheese on a diet

A huge number of varieties of cheese are created in the world, but not all of them are recommended to be consumed while losing weight, although it is not forbidden to enjoy a small piece of even fatty hard cheese. The main condition is quality; the composition should not contain harmful vegetable fats, because the beneficial properties of cheese depend on following the correct preparation technology. Often the cost of a good product is much higher than the price of low-quality analogues. But the main question is not even the calorie content, but the quantity eaten.

Cheese classification table by production method:

The benefits and harms of cheese for the body

Very often, cheese products are used as an addition to salads, snacks and sandwiches. If you eat it during breakfast, lunch or late dinner, you will not have problems with excess weight. Due to its protein content and the ability to produce a hormone responsible for satiety, you do not need to eat a large amount to satisfy your hunger. In addition, different varieties are rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium, lactose, vitamins A and D, which helps maintain health. But the situation of individual intolerance is quite real.

Mozzarella

This cheese is made with skim milk, so the fat content is 22%. Mozzarella is sold in the form of balls in a salty solution. Contains protein - 22.17 g, fat - 22.35 g, carbohydrates - 2.19 g, energy value - 280 kcal. Mozzarella cheese comes from Italy, and of course, where would we be without Italian pizza? Mozzarella is simply perfect for this kind of thing. And what a delicious salad with this cheese, just bomb. For example, caprese , which is on my website, is delicious, light and fast. Follow the link and write down the recipe.

Is it possible to eat cheese while on a diet?

The question of whether it is possible to eat cheese on a diet worries many people who want to lose weight, because this product is used in the diet of almost any person and it is difficult to give it up. Nutritionists recommend choosing low-calorie cheese for your diet, avoiding hard and overly seasoned varieties (especially salty and spicy ones), as well as varieties with fillers. The main selection criterion is quality and shelf life: you should not eat moldy ones, even after cutting off the areas with mold, because this is fraught with serious poisoning.

How to distinguish a low-quality product:

• carefully consider the composition on the packaging (admixtures of palm oil or other vegetable fats are not allowed);
• uniform color, without bright spots and traces of “revival” (soaking, cutting);
• catch the aroma, absence of foreign odors;
• can't be cheap.

Cheese diet

A large number of weight loss programs allow the consumption of rennet products. Recently, a diet based on cheese and coffee has been gaining particular popularity, because there is no need to constantly cook something, and this saves a lot of time. Its duration is 10 days. While losing weight, it is forbidden to eat vegetables and fruits; only eggs and fermented milk drinks (a glass of kefir or homemade yogurt without fillers) are allowed. But there are other variations - a cheese and wine diet or a standard cheese diet (you can add soup or salad with vegetables to the diet).

Ducan's diet

France, as you know, is the birthplace of cheese making, so this product could not be avoided in the food system from the French nutritionist Pierre Dukan. Taking into account the peculiarities of the nutritional system, the question of whether cheese is possible on the Dukan diet cannot be answered unequivocally. The nutrition system is divided into 4 stages, the diet of each of them has its own characteristics, for example, at all stages (even at the attack) low-fat cheese is allowed, at the alternating stage you can introduce 30 grams, with a fat content of up to 6.5%. During fixation, fat content up to 20% is permissible, but in small quantities.

Japanese diet

One of the toughest but most effective nutritional systems for weight loss is the 14-day Japanese diet. Those wishing to lose weight are prohibited from changing their diet, confusing the sequence of days, or consuming salt, alcohol, sugar and sweets. A prerequisite is to drink 1.5 liters of mineral still or boiled water. On the Japanese diet, cheese is allowed to be eaten, but not more than 1 piece (15 grams) per day, as an addition to the menu. You can’t call such a nutrition program “hungry”, because it contains a lot of fish, meat, vegetables and fruits (unsweetened). You are allowed to drink coffee and unsweetened tea.

Is it possible to have cheese on the Maggi diet?

Among those who want to lose weight, the so-called egg diet is gaining popularity. There is no need to count calories on it, since it is based on biochemical reactions in the body. Just be sure to strictly follow the diet. There are no contraindications to such a weight loss system; it can be used by people of absolutely any age and initial weight. It is allowed to eat meat and fish dishes, eggs, vegetables and fruits, but cheese is not suitable for the Maggi diet. For hard varieties, a fat content of 17% is acceptable, but they can be replaced with low-fat cottage cheese, feta cheese or mozzarella.

On a protein diet

Low-carbohydrate diets (including protein) involve eating meat, fish and eggs. Is it possible to have cheese on a protein diet? The high level of protein and low carbohydrates in this product allows it to serve as an excellent addition to such a nutritional system. True, you are allowed to eat only low-fat or low-fat varieties (Adyghe, feta, tofu). This method is very effective for losing weight if you combine it with regular training, because proteins are the building material for muscle mass. It is prohibited to add baked goods, high-calorie fruits and carbonated drinks to the menu.

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Ways to lose weight

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Fasting day

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The daily dosage is no more than 200 g, i.e. approximately 40 g for each meal (2 plates/pieces). For this purpose, you can choose tofu, Fitness Cheese (semi-hard rennet), curd or Serbian cheese, as well as any hard varieties. Green tea and water are allowed. You can't eat anything else. The result is minus 1 kg. You can repeat it only once a month.

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Read more about how to lose weight on a “forbidden” product as part of a fasting day in our separate review.

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Cheese diet

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Type: low-calorie, protein. Duration: 1 week. Results: 3-4 kg. Difficulty: medium.

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Recommended for weight loss during intense training. All low-fat protein foods are allowed (chicken breast, fish, fermented milk drinks, egg whites, legumes). The main condition is to eat a slice of low-fat cheese three times a day. Nutritionists recommend mozzarella, ricotta, almetta, Philadelphia, Adyghe. It is advisable to include different varieties in your diet.

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How much cheese can you eat a day?

If you use the product in reasonable quantities, you will not get better from it. It is best to eat at night; you can afford a piece of up to 70 grams (about the size of a matchbox). For durum varieties, the portion is halved to 35 grams. The less caloric a product is, the lower its fat content, the more you can eat. Is it possible to eat cottage cheese in unlimited quantities on a diet? Perhaps only low-fat cottage cheese (0 kcal), and even then it is better to pay attention to the portion size.

Are there low-calorie varieties?

In any case, there is a certain amount of fat in cheese.
Even if a variety is considered low-fat, it is still relatively high in calories compared to other dietary products. As a rule, cheeses are divided into several categories:

• low fat - up to 20%;
• light - from 20 to 30%;
• regular - from 40 to 50%;
• fatty - from 60%.

Tofu is considered the leanest, but it is not cheese in the usual sense, but rather a dietary curd product, since it is made from soy.

Next comes low-fat cottage cheese, which is considered cheese abroad: Ricotta, Chechil, Mozzarella, Suluguni and certain varieties of feta cheese. Their fat content is most often up to 30% or a little more.

The calorie content of such cheeses will be up to 300 calories per 100 grams. This is completely acceptable on a diet. It is impossible to compile a complete list of the best low-fat varieties that you can use when you are losing weight, since different manufacturers use different technologies, and accordingly, the composition of a particular product may differ significantly.

What kind of cheese can you eat on a diet?

All weight loss programs are designed to safely burn excess weight, but there are often situations when only water (if there is too much salt) or muscle tissue (if there is not enough protein) is lost. What kind of cheese can you eat while losing weight? A good quality product will not harm your figure, it will even help you get rid of those extra boring pounds, so you should definitely eat it while losing weight, you can choose it as an independent dish or add it to different recipes.

The most popular varieties recommended by nutritionists:

Brine

One of the most optimal varieties for weight loss is pickled cheese. It is made from different types of milk (goat, cow, sheep). When cooked correctly, these varieties flake and are distinguished by the absence of a hard crust. In stores you can see mozzarella, suluguni, and Adyghe. Brined cheeses often have a salty taste and are sold in vacuum packages in brine. Then they will not lose their properties during storage. The calorie content of such a product is low, so it can be eaten with almost any weight loss program.

Low calorie solids

For lovers of hard cheeses, a food system without them can become a real test, a blow to the nervous system. Cheeses with a low fat content are difficult to find in stores, so those who are losing weight often learn to cook the product themselves. There are a large number of recipes on the Internet for making cheese at home. Among the well-known low-calorie semi-solid varieties, it is worth choosing Gaudette, Fitness (produced in Russia or Belarus), Oltermani (fat content up to 17%). Products with a calorie content above 20% can be consumed in small portions.

Why is this snack so hard to resist?

How does cheese affect the body when losing weight? The reason is that the product is addictive, or at least that was one of the findings of a University of Michigan study.

In an experiment with 500 students, scientists linked a protein called casein to an opiate-like effect that supposedly occurs during digestion. According to the work, these substances release casomorphins into the body, which create a feeling of well-being, like pizza. And the more processed and fatty, the greater the supposed addiction that cheese produces in people. There is no doubt that food evokes passions, and that it does so for a reason. After all, why shouldn't Parmesan give you a good mood? The product comes in countless forms and flavors, all of which are needed in some corner of the gastronomy, be it pasta or sandwiches. But it's also the first casualty on the shopping list when people decide to go on a diet, and it's not fair.