Science Just Made Your Dreams Come True By Naming This Type Of Cheese A Superfood
With everything going on in the world right now, food is about the only comforting thing in life we can all agree on. If you feel like you're on the brink of losing all hope in humanity, take some solace in the fact that scientists have announced that Swiss cheese is healthy and, better yet, is now considered a superfood. Ah, sometimes we really can have nice things.
Metro.co.uk reports that researchers in Korea have found that Swiss cheese is rich in Propionibacterium freudenreichii content. This probiotic naturally and actively reduces inflammation and speeds up your immune system, which basically means you can eat a fair amount of Swiss slices without the risk of indigestion -- at least, that's how I'm seeing it.
Personally, I'm more of a mozzarella fan, but here's to hoping that this newfound information leads to all cheeses meeting superfood criteria, because that would technically make pizza healthy. And we all know pizza is life.
Granted, most of us are aware by now that cheese isn't generally considered the healthiest dairy product on the shelf due to its high-fat content and the fact that it saturates the body with a ton of sodium. Still, one simple serving of Swiss can promise a few key health benefits that deserve recognition.
First, one ounce of Swiss cheese offers the body almost eight grams of protein.
Parmesan may take the cake for the highest protein content of all cheese (11 grams per ounce, to be exact), but Swiss isn't trailing far behind.
According to The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average adult requires 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which means one ounce of Swiss can provide anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the daily recommendation.
Add a slice to your favorite lunchtime sandwich or sprinkle Swiss shreds into your morning omelette to ensure you're getting enough of the macronutrient daily.
Regular consumption can also lead to strong bones.
How many of us were reminded to drink our dairy growing up because milk builds strong bones? Well, apparently, we could have swapped a glass or two for a few slices of Swiss.
Swiss cheese is packed with calcium and phosphorus, a dynamic duo when it comes to bone formation and density. Reap the benefits by digging into a ham and swiss cheese melt for lunch, topping meat loaf with a few melted slices, or implementing it into your favorite chicken dish.
It's even easy on a lactose-intolerant stomach, so you can snack away despite dairy sensitivity.
Karen Ansel, R.D.N and coauthor of Healthy in a Hurry: Simple, Wholesome Recipes for Every Meal of the Day told GQ,
When natural cheeses including Parmesan, cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, mozzarella, and Brie are made, the manufacturing and aging processes remove almost all of the lactose. One ounce of these cheeses contains less than a gram of lactose, compared with the 12 grams you'd get from a glass of milk.
I know from experience that lactose intolerance isn't something you want to mess with. Still, cheese is so damn delicious that maybe you can convince yourself it's worth a little taste.
Instead of fighting the urge to chow down on a block of cheddar, swap the processed slices for a serving of natural Swiss so you can indulge without damaging your stomach.
So, if you weren't exactly on board with Swiss before, you may want to consider utilizing the superfood to your advantage. It's delicious, nutritious, and just paved the way for all other types of cheese to show their super strengths.
Cross your fingers for cheddar!
