7 Health Benefits of Eating Cheese

Cheese is healthy, seriously; as long as you don't overload yourself with it!

Cheese is often considered as a food that make you gain weight and lead to heart problems, but this happens only when you go overboard with this dairy product. Cheese is made from milk which is a whole food, and these offer a range of health benefits like strengthening your bone, managing your blood pressure levels, enhancing blood vessels, so on and so forth. It is a dairy product that enhance the taste of an ordinary dish. Unless of course, if you are suffering from hypertension of lactose intolerance, staying away from cheese is a better idea.

Here are the health benefits of cheese which are sure to delight all you cheese-lovers out there:

* Promotes bone health

Cheese contains a host of nutrients like calcium, protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin B12. Mozzarella, in particular, is chock-full of calcium. Thanks to its added range of B-complex vitamins, cheese helps your body to better absorb the calcium, not to mention distribute it effectively throughout your entire body. That means indulging in some cheesy goodness may help strengthen your bones.

* Makes muscles stronger

If you’re looking to build muscle, the protein in cheese can help you along. The Dairy Council of California mentions that cheese contains high-quality protein that can provide the body with important building blocks for strengthening muscles. Leucine is a compound found abundantly in cottage cheese as well as other dairy foods, meat, and eggs and is the igniter that sparks the synthesis of muscle mass in the body.

* Helps lower stress

If you’ve had a particularly stressful day, reach for a cheese pizza. Cheese contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that aids in the production of serotonin, which may have a calming effect by regulating your mood and anxiety levels.

* Helps meet nutrient needs

Cheese contributes 21 percent of total dietary calcium to our diets among other important nutrients. Plus, including cheese in the diet has also shown consumption of more fruits, veggies and whole grains.

* Aids a good night’s sleep

Eating cheese before bed has been shown to boost the chances of a good night’s sleep. There are also evidences that your dreams can be related to the type of cheese you consume before retiring for the night.

* Cheese is a good source of omega-3 fats

Chuck Benbrook, research professor at Washington State University’s Centre for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, has been involved in several studies about dairy, including one from 2013 that found organic dairy has 62% more healthy omega-3s than conventional milk, partly due to the cow’s diet of fresh grass.Omega-3 has been ascribed plenty of health benefits, with many experts claiming that the fatty acids boost brain health, protect the heart, and ease stiff and aching joints.

* It improves metabolism

Cheese contains high levels of butyric acid, a compound which has been linked to reduced obesity, reduced cholesterol, and higher metabolism. This allows your body to burn energy effectively, not to mention helps protect against metabolic disorders such as diabetes.