Is it really cheese?

Did you know that processed cheeses aren't really cheese? Most of the time, the products we find on supermarket shelves contain only 50% cheese in their ingredients, sometimes more, sometimes less.

The FDA, the food and drug regulatory agency, calls them "pasteurized processed American cheese products," because the reality is that they are not cheese. For a product to be considered cheese, it must contain at least 51% cheese in its ingredients.

So, if you read the labels, you will realize that many of the cheeses we buy are not really cheese, so what are they? Well, for a change, they are another processed product with cheap ingredients such as modified starch, water, fat, salt, colorants, preservatives, emulsifiers, and other artificial ingredients. At the end of the day, they modify the cheese to reduce costs and production time.

These ingredients are added to the melted cheese, which then undergoes many processes, ultimately altering the flavor, texture, and nutritional content of the cheese mixture. So how do you know which cheese to buy? Simple: read the label and look for the word "cheese."

All cheeses, even those that are 100% natural, should be consumed in moderation due to their high saturated fat content. These have been linked to increased levels of total cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol.

Be careful with aged cheeses; the more aged they are, the higher their fat and salt content will be. Cheeses with lower saturated fat content are those that include the word "fresh" in their name. In this category, you can find leaf cheese or country cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and ricotta.

Can they be consumed daily? It depends. You can have a balanced, nutrient-rich diet without consuming dairy products. Similarly, you can have a balanced diet that includes cheese. Cheese is said to provide protein, but you can get protein from other sources such as legumes. Cheese is said to provide calcium, but there are many vegetables that provide more calcium than cheese.

So when you eat cheese, try to eat it fresh and in moderation.

In short, we are not eating cheese.