Are you also the one who craves cheese but tries to cut it off from your diet to avoid weight gain? What if we say that many healthy recipes use cheese and are incredibly delicious? These healthylicious recipes can be easily made at home, and you can satisfy your cravings without worrying about the reading on the scale. So this National Cheese Lover's Day, give yourself a cheese treat without any guilt.
Before we dive into the healthy recipes, let us understand how cheese can benefit your overall health. Research has shown that adding cheese to your diet can help you regulate blood pressure. Studies have related weight gain with low calcium levels; since cheese is a good source of calcium, it can help in weight loss. Cheese obtained from cow's milk has high omega-three fatty acids that help maintain the cardiovascular system and brain functioning. Proteins are the building blocks of a cell, and cheese contains high protein levels; this can be a perfect option to add to your diet.
Our Recommendation of a Healthy Cheese Recipe
Sweet Potato and Cheese Sandwich – This simple sweet potato stuffed sandwich can be a fantastic option for a healthy recipe. The sandwich can be combined with other veggies of your choice.
Olive and Cheese Stuffed Tomato – This seems to be a perfect combination for a healthy lunch for all the olive and cheese lovers. Use feta cheese to cut down saturated fat content.
Stuffed Chicken with Garlic and Cheese – Goat cheese with chicken breast and garlic makes a fabulous lunch or dinner option.
Cheese Calzones – Use mozzarella cheese and stuff it with veggies like broccoli or chicken as per your preference for making this healthy snack meal.
Mozzarella Cheese Salad – Eating just the salad can be very boring after a few days of dieting. Topping it up with some mozzarella cheese can add that extra twist you were always looking for in your salad.
Word of Caution
Apart from the benefits mentioned above, some risk factors are associated with high cheese consumption. Since it has high levels of saturated fats, an excess intake of cheese can lead to cardiovascular problems.
Cheese is rich in sodium, and excessive consumption can lead to high blood pressure. People with a risk of heart problems and obesity should opt for low fat and low sodium varieties of cheese like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan, feta, and goat's cheese.
Some specific individuals are lactose intolerant, which means they are deficient in the enzyme responsible for the breakdown and digestion of dairy products. Specific individuals have allergic reactions to a particular type of cheese. So individuals with allergies or lactose intolerance should avoid all varieties of cheese.
Conclusion
Consult your dietician and nutritionist to know which variety is suitable for you and the daily consumption as it varies from person to person. I hope this insight on the benefits of adding cheese helps you relish healthy recipes with your loved ones. Don't forget to share pictures of the recipes you try and enjoy the national cheese lover's day by saying extra cheese!