NEXT TIME someone behind a counter asks, “Do you want cheese on that?” think about this: One ounce of full-fat cheese contains six grains of saturated fat or a third of your recommended maximum daily intake, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. That’s 1 1/2 slices of processed cheese, a 1 1/4 inch cube of cheddar, or the cheese on a slice of pizza. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is campaigning to have people cui hack on their cheese consumption, reports that the US. Department of Agriculture estimates the average American eats 30 pounds of cheese a year up from 11 pounds in 1970. To reduce the health hazard of high cheese consumption, CSPI recommends that you take the following steps:
- Get your calcium from foods such as fat-free or l-percent milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese or calcium-fortified orange juice.
- Order cheese-less sandwiches and burgers, and pizza with half the usual amount of cheese. Avoid the cheese-stuffed-crust variety altogether.
- Opt for grated Parmesan and Romano, which provide lots of flavor in small amounts.
- Limit yourself to two ounces of full-fat cheese each week.