10 reasons of feeding cheese

1. Cheese is high in calcium

When it comes to calcium content, cheese is the all-out winner! And the calcium content of cheese increases with water loss during manufacture. The cheeses with the highest calcium content are therefore cooked pressed cheeses such as Emmental or Comté, which contain up to 1000mg of calcium per 100g.
Our body contains more than 1kg of calcium, 99% of which is in the skeleton. In addition to making bones and teeth stronger, calcium has numerous other uses, such as conduction of electrical impulses in the nervous system and muscle contraction. It also plays a role in blood clotting and hormone release.

Bones are living organs that are constantly renewed and store calcium for the rest of the body. Consequently, when calcium intake is insufficient to cover its requirements, the body has to take calcium from its bones and over time the skeleton weakens. This is why it is important to have sufficient calcium intake to maintain strong bones!

2. Cheese is a good source of phosphorus

Our body contains about 700g of phosphorus, 85% of which works with calcium to promote a strong skeleton and teeth. Phosphorus is also an essential element of cells and their membranes and is involved in the transport and storage of energy and the regulation of acidity levels.

A balanced phosphorus and calcium intake ensures that phosphorus adheres to bones. Nutritionists recommend a calcium-phosphorus ratio of between 1 and 1.5 for optimum assimilation of the two minerals.
Entremont cheeses have a high phosphorus content and an ideal calcium-phosphorus ratio of 1.5 for Emmental and 1.3 for Comté, compared with 0.7 for goats’ cheese and 0.5 for Brie.

3. Cheese is an excellent source of protein

Proteins are the body’s building blocks, helping to form and maintain all its tissues. They are made up of small units called amino acids.

There are 20 different amino acids in our body, eight of which are generally regarded as essential because the human body cannot synthesise them and they must be provided by our diet.
The human body is not cabable of storing them for subsequent use and they have to be derived from the food we eat to cover requirements.
All proteins do not have the same amino acid profile. Some are more valuable than others in terms of essential amino acid content. These are said to have a high biological value. One protein that is considered as having optimum protein status is the albumin in egg white, which sets the standard and is assigned a biological value of 100. The animal proteins found in dairy products, eggs, meat and fish generally have a high biological value (between 80 and 100), whereas vegetable proteins rarely exceed a value of 70, apart from soya.

Cheese is therefore an excellent source of quality protein. In addition, the proteins in cheese are easily digested and well assimilated.
Cheese generally has a high protein content but this can vary significantly from one type of cheese to another. In principle, the more a cheese is strained, the higher its protein content. Cooked pressed cheeses such as Emmental and Comté therefore have a higher protein content, with an average of 30%, as compared to 20% for Camembert, and 8% for fromage blanc.
Daily protein requirements are calculated according to body weight, and are estimated at about 0.8g of protein per kilo for an adult. Protein requirements for an adult weighing 70kg are therefore 70 x 0.8 = 56g per day.

A 30g serving of Entremont Emmental provides about 9g of protein, i.e. the equivalent of a slice of ham or a 50g serving of poultry or fish.

4. Cheese is high in vitamin A (retinol)

Dairy products, and especially cheese, are a very good source of Vitamin A. The vitamin is an essential component of the retina (hence the name "retinol"), and plays an important part in eyesight. One of the first signs of a vitamin A deficiency is often the inability to see well.
Vitamin A is also involved in cell differentiation and therefore numerous functions including tissue growth and renewal and embryonic development.

5. Cheese contains vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

Vitamin B2 is mainly found in dairy products, but also in meat, fish and eggs. It is involved in various bodily functions, and in particular in the use of oxygen for converting nutrients into energy.

6. Cheese is a good source of vitamin B12 (cobalamins)

Vitamin B12 is generally bound to proteins in animal food.
It is important for the functioning of the nervous system, with a particular role in stress and fatigue relief. It is also essential for protein synthesis and cell multiplication. For example, the vitamin helps athletes to increase their lean body mass.

7. Pressed cheeses do not contain lactose

Lactose is a sugar found only in milk. It is broken down into two simple sugars – galactose and glucose.
What is lactose intolerance?
To cross the intestinal wall, lactose is converted to glucose and galactose in the digestive tract by an enzyme called lactase. The glucose and galactose are then absorbed by the intestinal cells and enter the blood stream.

In humans, the production of lactase is highest in infants, then drops dramatically during childhood. Some adults no longer produce lactase, which prevents them from digesting lactose. They are said to be lactose intolerant. When they eat lactose, it is not digested and absorbed in the intestine, and continues its journey in the digestive tract to the colon where it can cause flatulence, bloating, abdominal cramps and even diarrhoea.
Why does pressed cheese no longer contain lactose?
When pressed cheese is made, most of the lactose is removed along with the whey when the curds are strained off. The little lactose remaining in the curds is then broken down during the fermentation and maturing of the cheese.

A major straining operation is performed during pressed cheese making, resulting in removal of almost all the lactose. Fresh cheeses or soft cheeses, which undergo less straining, can contain up to 3g of lactose per 100g.
Entremont Emmental, Comté, Tendre Dégustation, Raclette and Léger 8.5% (light cheese) do not contain lactose and pose no risk to lactose-intolerant consumers.

8. Entremont cheeses have low sodium content

Reducing salt intake to preserve health
Nutrition polls indicate that the French eat 8.5g of salt on average per day, whereas the body needs just 6g per day.
Health experts are unanimous in their view that excessive salt intake causes high blood pressure (hypertension), which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

9. Cheese encourages people to eat more grain products

According to French tradition, cheese is rarely eaten on its own and is usually served with a slice of bread. People are thus encouraged to eat more bread, which is excellent for your health and also helps to achieve the targets of the French National Nutrition and Health Programme, which recommends that we eat more complex sugar foods.
It is widely held that eating complex sugars limits the development of certain nutritional diseases (obesity, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia) which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. You are therefore recommended to eat foods that provide a source of starch, particularly bread, with each meal.

10. Eating cheese prevents tooth decay

Several studies have shown that eating cheese could help to prevent tooth decay. Researchers have demonstrated that dairy products reduce oral acidity and that cheese helps to preserve and re-mineralise tooth enamel after each meal.
Cheese’s protective role is explained by the calcium and phosphorus it contains, but also by the activation of saliva secretion and antibacterial action, which limits the formation of dental plaque.