You can have cheese on a sandwich, put together a cheese board when having a drink, add it as an ingredient to a meal, or simply grab a piece straight from the fridge. Cheese is a staple food for many people. But if you’d like to know more about which cheeses are the best choices if you want to eat it responsibly, then we are happy to answer that question.
Source of vitamins and minerals
Cheese is an important source of nutrients. It is rich in vitamin A, vitamin B12, and minerals like calcium, phosphor, magnesium, and zinc. Cheese also contains vitamin B2 and selenium. Furthermore, it offers proteins and fat. And last but not least: Cheese is a low-carb product! Together with milk and other dairy products, cheese offers around 60% of the daily intake of calcium and 40% of vitamin B12. This is why dairy products are crucial for a healthy diet in the Netherlands. (Source: Voedingscentrum.nl).
Needless to say that there’s a huge variety of cheeses: Dutch cheese, farmer’s cheese, goat cheese, herbed cheeses, blue cheeses, washed-rind cheeses, white crust cheeses, fresh cheeses, etcetera.
Dutch cheese
If you care about a healthy lifestyle but you also want to enjoy eating Dutch cheese, it is best to go for low-fat cheeses such as 20+ (Weydeland 20+ Mild or Pikant), 30+ (Erfgoed Stelling 302, 304, 306) and 35+ (Weydeland 35+). This is because these types of cheeses are much lower in calories and saturated fat. Another great choice is our Weydeland Low-salt! As the name says, this cheese contains less salt than other cheeses.
Blue cheese
Blue cheeses, also called blue-veined cheese, contain a lot of calcium, which is good for your bones. Besides that, blue cheese is rich in vitamin K2 and this helps to prevent the accumulation of calcium in the tissues around the heart. On the other hand, blue cheese contains more sodium than other cheeses. As blue cheese generally has quite a strong taste, you only need to add a small amount to a salad, for example, to enjoy its richness. Click here to find out more about our blue cheeses!
Goat cheese
Goat cheese is easy to digest and contains A2-caseins, and so it is less likely to cause gastrointestinal problems compared to the lactoproteins in cow’s milk. Goat cheese contains less lactose, meaning that it can be eaten by people who are lactose intolerant. Goat cheese is also rich in Vitamin A, which boosts your immune system. What would you go for? Organic goat cheese, regular goat cheese or vegetarian goat cheese? Our assortment offers them all.
Fresh cheese
Mozzarella is an example of a fresh, soft cheese that is rich in calcium and proteins. Our Mozzarella is made of buffalo milk and contains less salt (sodium) than harder cheeses. It tastes great in a salad or on toasted bread with tomato and basil. (Try it!) Another great product is our Italian fresh Ricotta. This cheese is low in salt and fat and is made with the residue products of other cheeses. In Italian, the word ‘ricotta’ means ‘recooked’ and the recooking of whey gives a wonderfully soft cheese that contains a lot of whey protein. Whey protein is one of the proteins that our body absorbs easily and so it supports the build-up of muscles and strength!
Healthy recipes with cheese
Cheese is a great ingredient with many delicious recipes. Every month, we give a new recipe with cheese under the heading ‘recipes‘. The January recipe perfectly fits in with many people’s new year resolution… delicious and healthy (low-carb aubergine mini-pizzas with low-fat cheese. You can find the recipe here. Another tip is this healthy Frittata with mushrooms and courgette! Great for breakfast or lunch. Would you like to get some more inspiring recipes with cheese? Let us know, we’re here to help!