Tired after a hard day’s work? Are you relaxing as we speak with an almost
orgasmic glass of red in one hand and a terrific, creamy, mouth-watering and almost
sweet sliver of brie in the other?
Do you find that you repeat this ‘fun’ ritual every night
whilst you cook dinner or just after you’ve kissed the kids goodnight? Blissful isn’t it – that single moment when
you bite into that lovely creamy richness.
Mmm..
Well I hate to break this well deserved moment of rapture,
but what your friends or the quaint fromagerie
failed to tell you is that cheese is high, high, high in fat! Don’t even
bother applying the nutrition screening tool that I introduced you to (see my article Be Shopping Savvy - Nutrition Labelling Decoded). All cheeses are well above the 10% fat cut-off,
except perhaps for cottage cheese and let’s face it, there’s not a lot to say about
cottage cheese.
A reduced fat cheese is still above the 10g/100g
threshold and as for the fat free varieties; can you really look me in the eye
and tell me that you can eat it? I didn’t
think so.
So where does that leave us? Perplexed I am sure; especially when you find
out that a recommended serving size of cheese is roughly 30g or the size of a
small matchbox. If you understand
calories, one portion of cheddar weighing 30g will give you 145 calories and
11g of fat. Eat 3 or 4 of these portions
as snacks and you’ve added over 500 unnecessary calories to your daily total
intake.
If you still don’t understand calories, a female weighing
60kg will need to run at least 9 kilometres to burn it off. Continue eating your slices of heaven daily
and you are gaining ½ kilo (1.1 pounds) each week. A few weeks later, you’ve gained a dress size
and I haven’t even counted the wine. Voila.
Oh and did I mention that cheese contains predominantly
saturated fats? Unfair isn’t it? Why make food taste so good if you can’t have
it. It’s all relative of course, if this
ritual is only a weekly treat and you can be detached after one glass of wine and
one portion of cheese, then I say, indulge.
If you are lusting after a second slice, then plan to slot
in at least a 30 minute session at the gym.
No point letting that gorgeous new dress go to waste.
Are
you vegetarian?
If you are vegetarian then it’s a different story. Cheese can be a useful source of protein and
calcium. You can even enjoy it in small
amounts in an elegant salad for lunch daily.
Lactose
intolerant?
More good news is that if you suffer from lactose intolerance,
then small amounts of cheese may not upset your tummy. If milk does not agree with you, you may find
switching from regular milk to soy, rice or oat milk beneficial. There are even pea and nut varieties of milk
these days. Just make sure that you select a brand that is fortified with added
calcium.
You may be slightly upset with me now, but you’ll absolutely
love me when you still look like a million dollars in that dress.
So your new plan is, after a hard day at work, run
yourself a bath, light pretty candles and dive into that book you’ve been
meaning to. Relaxation doesn’t always
need to revolve around food.
For cheese lovers out there, enjoy Jamie's antipasti of mozzarella recipe that I’ve selected for you.
Easy Mozzarella Salad
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 buffalo mozzarella, sliced
Large handful of basil
1-2 tsp of olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella in an alternating method on the plate. Gently cover with the basil leaves, pour olive oil, season with pepper and serve with crusty bread.
Easy Mozzarella Salad
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 buffalo mozzarella, sliced
Large handful of basil
1-2 tsp of olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella in an alternating method on the plate. Gently cover with the basil leaves, pour olive oil, season with pepper and serve with crusty bread.
Enjoy!
Please comment below, I really love and read all of your comments!
Please comment below, I really love and read all of your comments!
