Beware of Cheese

Watching your cholesterol? Go easy on the cheese.
Just two slices can supply 12 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat.


We know we’re not supposed to eat too much saturated fat, because it can increase our cholesterol and raise our risk of heart disease and stroke. But what exactly does “too much” mean?

The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 7 percent of your calories from saturated fat. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, for instance, you’ll want to aim for less than 16 grams, or 140 calories worth, of saturated fat.

You might think you come nowhere close to that number if you avoid ribs, burgers and butter. But, believe it or not, just two ounces of cheddar cheese provides 60 percent of your daily recommended intake — that’s more than what’s in a scoop of Häagen-Dazs.

If you eat cheese often, opt for reduced fat cheese, which contains half the amount of saturated fat as its full-fat counterpart.