Though it can be a healthy snack, cheese should be consumed in limited quantities because the dairy industry is problematic.
Cheese and other dairy products are seen as unhealthy foods by the public because of the vilification of its high fat content that started in the ‘80s and continued into the early 2000’s.
A 2006 study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that was not focused on cheese but high-fat dairy as a whole, perpetuated the narrative that cheese is unhealthy.
However, a Sept. 13, 2019 study in the American Society of Nutrition found cheese isn’t as bad as it’s been portrayed and can even be healthy.
The 2006 study focused on dairy’s calorie and fat content but didn’t focus on what other nutrients it has.
Cheese was also seen as unhealthy when paired with less nutritious foods such as processed meat and potatoes, however when paired with more nutritious foods including fruit and nuts, it can actually lead to healthy weight loss according to a June 23, 2011 article by The New England Journal of Medicine.
Some diets such as the ketogenic diet, a low-carb and high-fat diet according to Healthline, include cheese as a staple in recipes.
Believing cheese is a healthy choice makes consumers more inclined to buy it, but health isn’t the only factor that should be considered when grocery shopping.
Cheese is still a dairy product from an industry that has many negative environmental and ethical practices.
Most dairy products come from cows, which are some of the most environmentally detrimental animals on Earth to raise for food.
Cows need to eat large amounts of grass, meaning vast woodland areas are cleared out to grow grass in order to sustain cows' voracious appetites according to a Sept. 20, 2019 article by Sentient Media, a nonprofit journalism organization focused on the relationship between animals in human life.
But because most cows aren’t just fed grass, large areas of land are cleared solely for the cows to graze.
A large percentage of cows used for the meat and dairy industry are fed corn. Unfortunately, cows can’t process corn in their bodies, causing them to release methane gas as a byproduct.
Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. It’s 28 times more powerful than the same amount of carbon dioxide, according to a Jan. 23, 2019 National Geographic article.
The environmental harm from raising cows to produce cheese doesn’t take away from its nutritious value.
Cheese has essential nutrients for the body including calcium, protein, vitamin A and vitamin K2, according to an Oct. 25, 2019 article on Nutrition Advance, a blog on evidence-based nutrition.
Cheese is a good source of energy for the body, but the means of producing dairy products are unethical.
Cows must give birth in order to produce milk for cheese. Dairy cows are forcibly impregnated and have their offspring taken away. This is because calves will drink the milk intended for profit, according to Compassion in World Farming, a campaign advocating for the end of factory farming.
The separation of mother and calf is traumatic and clearly wrong.
The health aspects of cheese make it more enticing, but the negatives outweigh the positives.
While completely avoiding cheese may be hard, lowering your consumption is still helpful. Next time you go shopping, try seeing how much cheese you can cut out of your life.
