Who Am I To Diss A Brie!
Have you ever met anyone who doesn't love cheese? No, us neither! Cheese goes with anything... you can have it with your breakfast, lunch, sprinkled over your dinner or even for dessert in a scrumptious cake. Available in a never-ending amount of flavours and styles to suit your taste buds, you can buy the cheese of your desires from any local supermarket or order in any restaurant.
Did you know that in England alone there are over 700 types of cheeses produced? Nationally we manage to consume 700,000 tonnes a year? But what exactly is it about the product that we tend to love and crave so much? You wouldn’t be mad for thinking the stuff was addictive. We bet you didn’t know that a particular type of protein is found in milk called casein, and the concentration in cheese is very high compared to other dairy products.
As we consume our favourite mozzarella-covered pizza, casomorphins are released into our body, which rather peculiarly has an opiate-like effect on our brains. For cows, the effect of casomorphins allows a relationship between mother and calf to develop. But for us humans it simply means we become addicted to cheese. As a result of this crazy addiction, if we attempt to give up cheese for dieting and health reasons, we’ll experience withdrawal symptoms. This explains why we love to consume cheese so much… it's a drug!
So, what are the health consequences of our worldwide addiction to cheese? The main cause for concern regarding our health is the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol found in processed cheese. This can result in both diabetes and heart problems if consumed frequently, which is more than easy to do considering the addictive qualities and the amount of cheese found in various food products. It is vital then that we avoid processed cheese at all costs, to avoid the risk of later health problems! But it is important to know that there are positive qualities in the consumption of cheese. If you avoid types of processed cheese, such as the fatty kind that covers your burgers in restaurants, and stick to eating the good kinds created by your local farmer, your body can benefit in many ways.
Naturally made cheese is rich in both calcium and protein. Calcium is a key component in the development of bone growth and strength and protein is useful for those who don’t eat meat! Don’t let the addictive qualities of cheese worry or concern you, just simply take care in the types of cheese you are consuming. Cheddar or Red Leicester won’t harm you (in moderation of course), but we can’t say the same for the squirty stuff from cans!