To all cheese lovers WELCOME! Today's article will focus exclusively on this product. We will learn all about the benefits of cheese , we will figure out whether it is possible to lose weight with cheese, and what types of cheese are best to give preference to. I ask everyone who is interested in this topic to sit down comfortably, soon we will begin a review of the best cheeses in fitness nutrition and weight loss . Let's start with a short introduction.
Cheese is a favorite product since childhood
We all know from childhood what cheese is: at first in kindergarten we ate some kind of porridge for breakfast and always a sandwich with butter and a small piece of cheese; a little later, my mother, sending me to school for the whole day, made the same sandwich with cheese, but it was already larger and with sausage in addition; Well, now we ourselves make all kinds of salads, sandwiches and snacks with this wonderful product. Cheese has always been, is and will be a welcome guest in our refrigerator (at least for those who are reading this article).
about the health benefits of cheese , and most of them prove the positive impact of this product on the condition of the body as a whole. But there are conflicting opinions about whether cheese can be used for weight loss and what its benefits are in the fight against extra pounds. And today you will learn the whole truth about cheese and its beneficial properties, and then you can decide for yourself whether you should eat cheese when losing weight , and if so, which cheese is best to choose for this?
Many nutritionists and nutritionists limit the consumption of cheese in the diet of a losing weight person. And this is not without reason.
Most types of cheese are quite high in calories and have a high percentage of fat in their composition. But not all. There are also types of cheese that can not only be consumed when losing weight, but are also recommended. Cheese for weight loss is not a prohibited product if you know how to choose the right cheese and consume it in the right quantity.
On this infographic you can see what types of cheeses exist and by what criteria they are classified.
Contraindications
You should refrain from this method of losing weight if you have the following conditions and factors:
- obesity (we have already written about methods of combating this disease);
- ulcer;
- gastritis;
- tendency to edema;
- pancreatitis;
- lactose intolerance;
- cholecystitis;
- atherosclerosis;
- hypertension;
- kidney diseases;
- children under 2 years of age.
Naturally, one piece 2-3 times a week will not worsen the listed diseases. However, if you plan to include cheese in your regular diet, the presence of these diseases will prevent you from doing so.
In addition, do not forget that each variety also has its own list of contraindications. For example, those with mold are prohibited to eat during pregnancy. But tofu can be consumed by people suffering from lactase intolerance. So each case requires separate consideration and consultation with a doctor.
This is interesting. The shelf life of some varieties is very limited, and after it expires they can be poisoned. This, for example, is brie.
Criteria for choosing cheese when losing weight
When we talk about a balanced diet with an emphasis on weight loss, here we need to adhere to some rules when choosing the “right” cheese. Before you include any product, including cheese, in your diet, you need to study its composition, calorie content and make sure that the fat burning process, which is achieved through regular training and nutrition, will not be disrupted and stopped due to incorrect selected products. Therefore, when choosing this or that type of cheese when losing weight , you need to pay attention to:
- Fat percentage of cheese (number of grams of fat per 100 grams);
- The amount of protein in its composition per 100 grams of product;
- Calorie content of cheese
- Taste: not spicy, not too salty.
It’s not for nothing that I put these key points when choosing cheese in this order.
It is the percentage of fat content that is most important when losing weight It is better to give preference to low-fat cheeses with a fat content of 9-17% (this is ideal), but you can also consume 18-25% varieties in small quantities.
- The most high-calorie foods. You must know them by sight!
The second thing you need to pay attention to is, of course, the amount of protein per 100 g of product, since cheese is primarily the main source of protein, a building material for your muscles, and they, in turn, also play an important role in losing weight by consuming the “lion’s” dose of all calories eaten.
The next point you need to pay attention to is the calorie content of cheese. Try to avoid soft and hard cheeses with high calorie content, this indicates that their fat content is quite high. But even here there are some nuances: it happens that cheese has a high calorie content, but has other advantages in the fight against excess weight. For example, Camembert cheese, with its considerable calorie content (300 kcal), is recommended for people who suffer from lactase deficiency and cannot afford to eat dairy products. This also includes Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, which have a high calorie content (402 kcal and 431 kcal, respectively), but a high protein content (28 g and 38 g per 100 g of product), and by consuming them in small quantities, you contribute to nutrition and shaping your muscles.
But now we will move on to consider those types of cheese that are on the “golden mean”: they have both a fairly low calorie content and a high protein content, so their consumption will only have a positive effect on your weight loss process.
Why is cottage cheese eaten at night?
PP dinner, consisting of cottage cheese with vegetables, is quite often chosen by people who are actively involved in sports and bodybuilding. Cottage cheese is useful after a workout and should be eaten to gain muscle mass. There are two main reasons to eat cottage cheese instead of dinner.
- Athletes monitor the insulin index of products. And cottage cheese has a neutralizing effect on excess insulin that appears in the body from eating other foods.
- Cottage cheese has a high protein content, which is important for gaining weight. Some people prefer to buy pure protein for these purposes, while others prefer to get it from natural cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese at night helps digestion
Cheese cheese – 160-260 kcal, fat content 20%, proteins – 20 g
Bryndza is a dietary product with a high content of animal protein, phosphorus, calcium and other useful minerals, vitamins B, C, E, A and low fat content. Brynza is the ideal choice of cheese for weight loss. 100 g of cheese will provide you with your daily need for protein, enrich you with a lot of useful substances, and at the same time give you taste pleasure.
Benefit
If you regularly include cheese in your diet while losing weight, it will have the most positive effect on your health, as it has a number of beneficial properties:
- improves digestion;
- is a source of potassium, calcium and proteins;
- normalizes blood circulation;
- increases performance, gives a boost of vigor and energy;
- activates cellular respiration;
- relieves insomnia;
- has a calming effect on the nervous system, helping to cope with stress, thereby reducing the production of cortisol, which promotes fat deposition and stimulates appetite;
- normalizes the processes of growth and development in childhood and adolescence;
- increases erectile capabilities in men;
- Promotes visual acuity and prevents eye diseases.
It is not surprising that it has such a complex effect on the body. After all, it is a storehouse of easily digestible proteins, milk fat, amino acids, mineral salts, water- and fat-soluble vitamins (A, B1, B5, B12, C, E, D, PP).
Ricotta – 172 kcal, fat content from 8 to 24%, proteins – 11 g
Ricotta cheese is made not from milk, but from whey. It does not contain ordinary milk proteins, only albumin protein, which is found in human blood, so its absorption occurs faster and easier. This low-calorie cheese is rich in useful microelements, vitamins, is a storehouse of calcium and is a real boon for those watching their figure. It is preferable to consume ricotta from cow's milk, as it contains only 8% fat.
Tofu – 72-90 kcal, fat content up to 5%, proteins – 8 g
If you don’t know which cheese to choose when losing weight and are not afraid to eat an extra piece, then tofu will become your lifeline. This cheese is super low-calorie, and also one of the record holders for the content of high-quality vegetable protein, which contains almost all essential amino acids. Tofu protein is complete (which is why it can easily compete with meat protein), and therefore is quickly absorbed by the body, giving the necessary energy to your muscles.
Don't eliminate all flour from your diet at once
Such a “fall into the pool” will not lead to anything good - on the contrary, a breakdown will be even more real.
If you have finally decided to give up flour, remember that you should gradually reduce your consumption of baked goods (and other foods that you have decided to give up - sugar or salt, for example), otherwise you run a very high risk of becoming depressed. Do you like coffee with two spoons of sugar? We reduce their number to one. Do you like to eat a box of cookies in one working day? Reduce to 4-5 pieces. Do you like bread? Get rid of the white, take rye or bran. Every day, reduce your intake of the foods you want to avoid.
Mozzarella – 160-280 kcal, fat content – from 17 to 24%, proteins – 28 g
Mozzarella is one of those types of cheese that are not contraindicated when losing weight. It is rich in phosphorus, calcium, contains a fairly large amount of easily digestible protein and healthy fatty acids, which are necessary to maintain balance in the body. Mozzarella goes well with fresh and baked vegetables, herbs, as well as berries and olives.
Review your diet
An irresistible craving for flour is often associated with an incorrect diet. Long breaks between breakfast and dinner will prompt you to snack on buns from a nearby coffee shop. An ideal nutritional schedule should be close to the following:
- From 7 to 9 (depending on what time you wake up) – breakfast.
- At 11 we have a light snack - a handful of nuts/yogurt/apple.
- At one o'clock in the afternoon - lunch.
- Around 15 or 16 – light snack again. The ideal option would be chopped vegetables - cucumber, pepper, carrots, celery.
- At 18: dinner.
If you are a night owl and your day starts at 12 noon, stagger your meal times to suit your individual schedule. Remember that if you went to bed around one in the morning, your snack should take place at two in the afternoon, otherwise a breakdown will be guaranteed.
Feta – 290 kcal, fat content – 24%, proteins – 17 g
Feta cheese is a famous cheese that is used in the preparation of Greek salad, as well as other vegetable salads and snacks. Feta, with a fat content of 24%, has an average calorie content and is almost devoid of carbohydrates, so it can be safely consumed when losing weight. But the fat content of some types of this cheese reaches 50%, so when choosing a cheese of this brand while losing weight, you should pay close attention to the composition and fat content in this product; it should not exceed 24 g.
Say no to margarine
In addition to GI, weight gain can be affected by eating flour products with the addition of margarine.
Therefore, it is very important to read the information on the labels about the composition of the bread and its expiration date - in the case of high-quality bread, it cannot exceed three days. If it is larger, preservatives are probably added to such bread. Margarine adds calories to the product. The content of bran, grains and seeds in baked goods saturates it with microelements and vitamins, so this bread is the most healthy and causes a longer feeling of fullness with a smaller volume of consumption due to “slow” carbohydrates. The latter are broken down and absorbed gradually, without causing a sharp increase in the level of glucose and insulin in the blood.
Brie – 291 kcal, fat content 23%, proteins – 21 g
Brie cheese is a soft cheese originally from France that is moldy and has a creamy, nutty flavor. Low calorie content and a fairly large amount of protein and amino acids make this cheese an approved product for weight loss. This cheese is also rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, etc., which makes it not only tasty, but also very healthy.
Possible harm
Cottage cheese usually does not harm people with gastrointestinal diseases, provided that all the rules for its use are followed. It is recommended for diseases of the liver, stomach, and pancreas. But you need to use the product with caution if you have gastritis.
You can talk about the dangers of cottage cheese only in the following cases:
- In the presence of kidney stones and severe damage to the organ associated with the inability to digest protein products, with a severe form of atherosclerosis.
- In case of individual intolerance to the components, in the absence of enzymes capable of breaking down casein. In people with similar disorders, eating cottage cheese can cause excessive gas formation, sharp pain in the lower abdomen, and an unpleasant feeling of heaviness.
- When consuming a low-quality product: expired, stored in unsuitable conditions, or manufactured in violation of technology.
- When overeating. Extra pounds are the least harm that a lover of fermented milk products can face. An excess of protein will have a detrimental effect on the kidneys and intestinal function, causing constipation. And due to high acidity, the product will also cause heartburn.
Adyghe cheese – 240 kcal, fat content – 14%, proteins – 19 g
Adyghe cheese for weight loss is an indispensable product for all lovers of dairy products. It belongs to the soft varieties of whey cheese, has a curdled consistency and a pleasant milky taste. It is good to use by adding it to salads, spreading it on bread, making various snacks from it, and even combining it with fruit. Adyghe cheese is a universal product that will not spoil your figure, while enriching you with phosphorus, calcium, a large amount of vitamins and essential amino acids.
Well, we’ve looked at the main types of healthy cheeses for weight loss . But you need to remember that you should never eat cheese alone when losing weight , even if it’s of different types! Most cheeses do not contain carbohydrates at all (especially low-calorie types), and those that do contain them are negligibly small, ranging from 0.1 to 1 g per 100 g of product. Therefore, it is PROHIBITED to arrange cheese diets and limit your diet only to cheese, since you can easily get intoxication of the body with proteins.
Goodbye croissant: how to get rid of cravings for flour forever
We are sharing the most effective life hacks, approved by an expert nutritionist.
The first rule of the Cinnamon Bun Club is: don't tell anyone about the Cinnamon Bun Club. But how to lose weight if life without flour seems dull and gray? We sorted out all the nuances of the issue together with a clinical psychologist-nutritionist, a member of the national association of clinical nutrition, Anna Ivashkevich.
The presence of sweets in the diet, especially flour, not only spoils the figure, but also causes problems with the skin and digestion. So, if you are a devoted fan of croissants and cannot pass by a bakery without looking languidly, you should definitely listen to the advice from our material.
When and in what quantity can you eat cheese?
As I wrote earlier, when losing weight it is better to choose low-calorie and low-fat varieties of cheese. The calorie content of cheese should be from 70 kcal to 290 kcal per 100 g of product, and the fat content should be 9-17% (for people with a thin build who are not prone to gaining excess weight, you can eat fattier cheeses). You also need to remember that the strongly pronounced salty or pungent taste of cheese increases appetite and causes fluid retention in the body, so we avoid these types of cheese.
Rules for consuming cheese when losing weight:
- Reception time: breakfast/snack/not late dinner
- Weight in grams per day: 80-100 g (one slice 15-25 g)
- How many days a week: 2-3.
- What can you eat in the evening without harming your figure?
You ate a bun - move around
What else can you recommend to bun lovers? Movement! Flour products are carbohydrates that, when broken down, provide energy to the body, so you should not eat any carbohydrates in the evening, especially before bed. If you eat flour in the first half of the day and move actively, or even better, play sports, then by the end of the day you will use up all the energy you received from carbohydrates and its excess will not be stored as fat.
