How to choose the right low-fat cheese in the store
The problem is that low-fat cheese doesn't always mean low-calorie. A product whose fat content is less than 30% is considered dietary. Cheeses with a fat content of more than 40% are more often found in stores. These are traditional Russian, Maasdam, Gouda, Dutch.
Selection rules:
- Avoid overly salty or spicy cheeses.
- The ingredients should not include palm oil.
- The product must be fresh. Freshness must be checked visually, paying attention to traces of cleaning and trimming edges.
If you are on a diet, consider not only the fat content of the cheese, but also its calorie content. A product with a dry matter fat percentage of 45% may have fewer calories than a cheese with 29% fat. We cannot exclude errors that may be made by the manufacturer.
Is it possible to eat cheeses while on a diet?
Due to the usefulness, easy digestion of milk fats, high content of microelements and vitamins, cheeses can and should be included in the diet when dieting.
During the diet, it is recommended to consume types of cheese in which the fat percentage is no more than 35%. Cheese quickly fills you up and dulls your hunger for a long time.
Nutritionists advise including in the diet (fat content is indicated in brackets):
- Tofu – 4%;
- Gaudette – 6%;
- Oltermanni – 16-17%
- Chechil – 18%
- Ricotta – 9%
- Feta – 5-15%.
Recommended Products
Let's see what glazed cheese curds you can add to your diet on a diet?
✅Curds from .
B.Yu.Alexandrov’s cheeses.
List of low-fat cheeses
In any case, cheese contains a percentage of fat.
According to its percentage content, all varieties are classified into:
- low fat – contain less than 15%;
- lungs – from 15 to 40%;
- normal – from 40 to 60%.
Be sure to read: Recipes for delicious dietary dishes made from cottage cheese + how many calories are in 100 grams of product
Percentage of fat in lean varieties
Variety name | Fat content, % |
Tofu | 2-4 |
Lithuanian cottage cheese | 5 |
Ricotta | 9 |
Chechil smoked | 10 |
Gaudette | 12 |
Mozzarella | up to 15 |
Kaserei Champignon | 15 |
Valio Polar | 16 |
Chechil (regular) | 18 |
Arla Apetina | Up to 20 |
Arla Apetina Light | 25 |
Galbani Mazzarella Light | 30 |
Favita | 30 |
Chevrefin | 40 |
Hard cheeses
Hard varieties include:
- Parmesan;
- Maasdam;
- Emmental;
- Gruyere;
- Frisien;
- Romano;
- Raclette and others.
Durum varieties contain lecithin. It stimulates the process of lipid breakdown and normalizes cholesterol levels. Hard cheese takes a long time to mature. Popular varieties - 2-3 months or more. Elite ones can last for years, for example 5-6 years.
Popular varieties of hard cheeses
Variety | Fat content, % | Peculiarities |
Swiss | 45 | It has a sweetish taste, structure with small holes. Ripens up to six months. |
Parmesan | 32 | French variety. The ripening period is six months or more. The taste is refined. The structure is fragile. |
Cheddar | 33-45 | English variety. The structure is plastic, there are practically no holes. The taste is rich, spicy and salty. |
Dutch | 45 | Structure with small holes. The taste is delicate, quite salty, with a slight sour aftertaste. |
Russian | 45-50 | The taste is creamy-sweet. The structure is plastic. |
Soft cheeses
Mild varieties have a creamier and less spicy taste. They are made from low-fat milk.
Popular varieties
Variety | Fat content, % | Peculiarities |
Dorogobuzhsky | 45 | Transparent mucus is visible on top. Bright spicy taste. No hole structure. |
Camembert | 28-50 | The crust is covered with white mold on top. |
Smolensky | 45 | Covered with mucus on top. |
Homemade low-fat cheese
Cheese made at home does not contain any additives, unlike store-bought cheese. The aging process occurs naturally, so this product is completely natural and therefore healthy.
Recipes:
- Low Fat. You will need 2 liters of skim milk. Pour the milk into a saucepan, place on low heat, add 0.5 tsp. salt and sugar. The mixture is heated to 80-85 degrees and pour in 2 tsp. lemon juice, stir. A reaction will occur: the milk will curdle. You need to wait until the milk turns into white flakes and leave it to cool for 30-40 minutes. Then the whey is decanted, and the curd is shaped and placed in the refrigerator.
- Solid . 400 grams of low-fat store-bought or homemade cottage cheese are mixed with 200 ml of milk and 2 eggs are added. The mixture is put on fire and boiled for about half an hour, then poured into a mold and added 1 tsp. soda The mold must be closed and placed in a cool place, placing a weight on top for 5-6 hours.
- Homemade mozzarella. Heat 1.5 liters of milk in a saucepan on the stove, add 1 tsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt. The whey is decanted and the resulting flakes are set aside. Pepsin (rennet) is mixed with 2 tbsp. water and add to cottage cheese. 180 ml of water is heated in a separate container. Put cottage cheese there. When it becomes plastic, it is taken out, given the desired shape and placed under a press for several hours.
Be sure to read: Adyghe cheese: calorie content per 100 grams, composition, is it possible for weight loss, beneficial properties
Cheese made with your own hands definitely does not contain vegetable fat components, stabilizers, emulsifiers and other “extra” ingredients.
8 low-calorie varieties of cheese for weight loss: composition, calorie content, BJU
The range of low-fat cheeses in stores is quite diverse.
Variety | Fats, % | Kcal per 100 g | BJU |
Tofu | up to 4 | 90 | 11/4,5-5/0,35 |
Lithuanian cottage cheese | 5 | 85 | 17/5/2,8 |
Gaudette | 7 | 213 | 34/8,5/0 |
Chechil | 5-10 | 281 | 21/21/0,95 |
Fitness | 5-10 | 148-180 | 34/5/0 |
Ricotta | 13 | 174 | 11/13/3 |
Feta | 5-15 | 290 | 17/24/0 |
Oltermanni | 16-17 | 210 | 31/9/0 |
Tofu is made from plant milk with the addition of a coagulating agent (citric acid, nigari, calcium chloride). There should not be any additional components among the ingredients. The consistency of the product resembles feta cheese. It is rich in protein (of plant origin), so it can replace meat. Due to its calcium content, regular consumption of tofu helps prevent bone fragility.
Cottage cheese or "Lithuanian cottage cheese" contains slightly more fat than Tofu. It cannot be called a traditional cheese, since it is cottage cheese mixed with a small amount of cream. It can be eaten alone or as part of salads.
Gaudette is a low-fat variety of Gouda. According to the preparation technology, the starter and milk-clotting enzymes are mixed. The taste is quite delicate, milky with light spicy notes.
Chechil can be regular or smoked. Matured in brine.
Fitness Valio Polar is made from cow's milk. This variety is native to Finland. Milk protein, lactic acid bacteria, a non-animal preparation for coagulation, salt and a stabilizer are added to the base. Cheese is recommended to be consumed on a diet combined with sports training.
Ricotta was first produced in Italy. The whey remaining after preparing fatty cheeses, such as Mozzarella, is not thrown away, but Ricotta is prepared from it. It can be made from any animal milk. Accordingly, the fat content of the finished product will vary. The product is rich in vitamins and microelements, but it contains little sodium. Among other things, Ricotta contains cystine, an amino acid that helps eliminate toxins, prevents cell aging and has antitumor properties.
Be sure to read: Suluguni cheese: calorie content in 100 grams, composition and beneficial properties, can you eat it while losing weight
Feta is a cheese used in Greek salad. There are both high-calorie and low-calorie varieties.
Oltermani is a dense, smooth cheese made from cow's milk. It has a delicate milky taste.
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.
Calorie content of low-fat cheeses
Calorie content does not depend directly on the percentage of fat. Relatively full-fat cheese may contain fewer calories than low-fat cheese.
Calorie table for low-fat varieties
Variety | Kcal per 100 g |
Tofu | 80-100 |
Cottage cheese | 80-98 |
Fitness 25% | 202 |
Oltermanni 17% | 270 |
Feta Favita | 176 |
President light | 185 |
Adyghe light 12% | 143 |
Light cheese 10% | 72 |
Gaudette 15% | 207 |
Mozzarella 30% | 154 |
Kaserei Champignon 25% | 303 |
Valio Polar 5% | 180 |
Valio crumbly curd 2% | 80 |
Chechil spaghetti with dill | 247 |
Arla Apetina Feta Light | 160 |
Arla Apetina Light | 160 |
Galbani Mazzarella Light | 196 |
Lowest calorie cheese
Soy Tofu has the least calories - no more than 4% fat. This is a product recommended for diet. You can eat it on its own, add it to different dishes, or put it on a sandwich.
However, those who are accustomed to traditional cheeses may not like it, as it has an inexpressive, lightly salted taste. Because of this, it is an excellent base for all kinds of additives. Manufacturers add seasonings, nuts, and peppers to cheese, resulting in an increase in calorie content.
Tofu not only helps you lose weight, it has a beneficial effect on the body due to the content of high-quality vegetable protein, Fe, Ca. Cheese fulfills the body's need for essential amino acids and contains no cholesterol.
Tofu – 72-90 kcal, fat content up to 5%, proteins – 8 g
I’ll also say something about soybean cheese – tofu. Yes, it has the lowest fat content among all the cheeses I have listed and should be in first place, but there is one “but”: tofu promotes excessive gas formation, and therefore in case of gastrointestinal diseases you need to eat it in very limited quantities.
For the rest of the tofu there is no price. It is an antioxidant that removes dioxin, which causes cancer, from the body, and also reduces the level of “bad cholesterol”. At the same time, tofu is not just a dietary product, but a super dietary product: calorie content - 73 kcal, proteins - 8 g, fats - 4.5 g, carbohydrates - 0.8 g. So occasionally, for variety, you can indulge in tofu. Adding it to salads is a nice thing, I tell you.
To summarize: Adyghe cheese and ricotta fit best into the criteria of the fifth diet. They are not salty, not fatty, do not contain much protein and are great for breakfast. Just what the doctor ordered. Just don’t forget to count calories every day (it’s easier to do this with our calculator) and take hepatoprotectors. Like diet, it is an integral part of a liver recovery program.