 What is the healthiest type of cheese to eat for diabetics and people with insulin resistance? Today we are talking about cheese, the best and healthiest cheeses for diabetics and non-diabetics alike. Hi guys, I'm Dr. Ahmad Ergin. I'm an endocrinologist in Florida and for most of you, I'm your YouTube and Facebook diabetes doctor. You're talking about real cheese here manufactured from high quality ingredients and sometimes even raw. Yummy. Whatever form it takes, cheese is hard to say no, but which cheese is the most nutritious on the market, right? As you may know, throughout the history, cheese has served as a staple in cultures all over the world and it continues to do so today. Fermented dairy products such as cheese, kefir or yogurt were widely consumed prior to the modern world today. So what benefits are we talking when it comes to cheeses other than the fact that it won't spark your blood sugar, right? You all know that it's not going to spark your blood sugar, but what are the other benefits from cheese? Generally speaking, one ounce of cheese is regarded to be a serving just so you know, which is around the size of a three normal dice. With just one serving or two, depending on how you look at it, you will get a good dose of key nutrients. What are they? Vitamin D, vitamin A, certain B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium and of course your protein. Cheese's fermented properties ensure that it promotes digestive health while also increasing the immune system's performance. Nowadays, we all need that, right? Cheese, when consumed in moderation, is totally appropriate food to pair with your favorite foods. It literally makes any food taste good instantly. Even your vegetables! Take note that we are talking about cheese here. Real deal, authentic quality cheese created from high-grade milk sources such as cow, goat and sheep and made in small batches are the best ones. Goat and sheep cheeses actually have more heart healthy fats than cheeses made with cow milk. Did you know that? Having said that, the use of processed cheeses should be avoided at all costs because they contain certain emulsifiers, extenders, strange substances, phosphates, hydrogenated oils, among other things. Now, those cheese-like goods in cans are no go either. Now, let's go back to the benefits. There are various positive changes that occur as a result of fermentation or fermenting the dairy products that includes increase in the vitamin B and vitamin C. The process of fermenting dairy also aids in the breakdown of chazine. Chazine is a milk protein that many people are unable to digest for a variety of reasons including me. Many of the enzymes that were destroyed during the pasteurization which is a good thing and are restored during the process of culturing the dairy product. For example, lactase that aids in the digestion of lactose or the milk sugar and there are a lot of enzymes that aid in the absorption of calcium and other minerals by the body when you consume cheese. Lactase which is created during the culturing process permits many people who are sensitive to fresh milk to tolerate fermented milk products such as cream, like the cheese, the yogurt, the kefir, even whey protein and cultured milk cream and so forth, the cream cheese. Even these people are allergic supposedly to fresh milk. Now, raw cheese is some of the most nutritious cheese that you can obtain. Is that interesting? These cheeses are manufactured from raw milk that has not been pasteurized, that's why we call it raw milk, making them a healthier option. Unlike cheeses prepared from pasteurized milk, the raw cheese has a wide range of beneficial enzymes and nutrients making it more easily digestible. For more than a thousand years, right up until today, raw milk has been go-to ingredient at cheeses and for a good reason. What is it? Flavor. Now, heat destroys and denaturates many naturally occurring flavor rich and gut friendly enzymes in the milk, resulting in the cheese losing its detectable flavor and when milk is cooked or pasteurized many naturally occurring flavor rich and gut friendly enzymes are totally destroyed as well, resulting in this total loss of detectable flavor. Now, raw cheese isn't particularly frightening. No, it's difficult to come by so it's actually everywhere. To give you an example, cheese known as Parmigiano or Reggiano may only be named as such if it is manufactured from raw milk. Isn't that interesting? Alternatively, you can get raw milk cheese from an organic source at your local farmers market or healthful stores such as Whole Foods or Sprouts where you normally go. Now, the question is, is it better to eat full fat or low fat? That's a debate that's been there forever, right? When faced with the decision between low fat and full fat options, always choose the full fat one. Several healthy fats have been removed from low fat baked goods, data products, butters, nut butters, etc. and these products are typically loaded with a variety of weird components such as chemicals, artificial sweeteners in order to resemble the texture of the full fat variant. Now, full fat foods should be regarded as a special treat. Of course, they should not be consumed in large quantities. Aside from that, the saturated fat present in cheese isn't all that unhealthy for you after all. So, if you consume at least two to three servings of full fat dairy per day, you will have a 23% less chance of getting type 3 diabetes when compared to those people who consumed one or fever servings per day and this has been studied and published in 2005 in a reputable journal. Full fat cheeses also include a kind of fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid which is found in small amounts in other foods as well. You can call that CLA. A number of health benefits of CLA have been demonstrated that includes anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive. CLA is a type of poly-onstraturated fatty acid that I always recommend that belongs to omega-6 fatty acid and remember, not every omega-6 is bad for you. In other words, this is a technically a trans fat but it's a naturally occurring trans fat that can be found in a variety of nutritious food sources. Now, a large number of studies demonstrated that industrial trans fats which are totally distinct from the natural trans fats such as the CLA are harmful but these cheeses contain varying amounts of CLA and that depends greatly on the types of animal or fat or etc. But for example, the CLA content of the beef and the dairy from grass fed cows is three to five hundred percent higher than the beef and dairy from grain fed cows. Now, sheep and goat cheese also has more CLA than the cheese made with cow milk overall. So, another question. Which one is better? Organic or conventional cheese? When deciding whether to purchase conventional or organic dairy products always opt for organic whenever possible. Why is that? Well, the fat contains the highest concentrations of hormones and antibiotics used in non-organic cattle production so all these toxins can accumulate in the fat. In a study in 2013, for example, organic dairy products contain 62 percent more heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids than the regular dairy products that are non-organic. So, what is the healthiest cheese available then? Well, the healthiest cheese is a cheese that is organic, fresh, and easily digested by the digestive tract. Now, goat cheese happens to be one of the healthiest ones. Goat cheese, one ounce is around 102 calories, that has six grams of saturated fat and six grams of protein. The goat cheese also has vitamin A, B2, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, B12, vitamin D all are included in the goat cheese. Now, in the case of those who are allergic to cow's milk, these cheese products, the goat cheese, may be an acceptable substitution and the primary protein found in milk is referred to as cussing. This protein is available in two different forms, A1 and A2, each of which contains a different amino acid in a structural composition. The milk produced by traditional dairy cows contains a combination of A1 and A2 cussing. As opposed to other animals milk like goat cheese has a protein structure that is smaller and easier to digest due to the A2 cussing protein and it does not exhibit the inflammatory effects associated with dairy products due to A1 cussing in cow's milk. In fact, this cussing has the most structural similarity to human breast milk of any protein. It has been shown in special studies that the goat milk when presented as the first type of protein to be introduced to babies following breastfeeding, they may be less allergic for the rest of their life to the milk or even to cow's milk later. Also, as compared to cow's milk goat milk boosts iron absorption while also improving bone formation and the bioavailability of certain minerals such as magnesium in your body. What can you do with goat cheese? Well, you can spread on a toast or bagel provided that you're not eating this all the time because you're diabetic or if you're a diabetic or you can put that into olives and peppers or vegetables if you are concerned about carbohydrates with diabetes and so forth. You can put in creamy soups, you can add to your salads, sandwiches, etc. Frittatas, there's so many applications. Now guys, before moving to the next cheese, if you are enjoying this video or learning something, please hit that like button and say something in the comment section. Also remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok where we provide a lot of short and sweet to the point videos that you may like if you don't have patience to watch this entire long video here. Number two, pecorino Romano cheese or you can call it Romano cheese. One ounce has 110 calories, seven grams of protein, seven grams of saturated fat and similar vitamins and minerals like the other cheeses. Now pecorino cheese is a pretty, you know, it's a hard and sharp cheese, a salty Italian cheese made from sheep's milk that is both delicious and nutritious when consumed in moderation. It is considered to be one of the oldest Italian cheeses and it's considered to be one of the oldest cheeses in the world as well. Now, when made from grass-fed milk, this cheese is particularly super high in CLA, which is conjugated linoleic acid. Again, it's a very beneficial omega-6 fatty acid. According to the findings of a five-year study, consumption of CLA's found in pecorino Romano cheese may be associated with low weight, which is weight loss, reduced risk of diabetes, reduced risk of obesity, again cancer and inflammation. Now, the cheese should be labeled pecorino Romano and that indicates that it has been manufactured under tight regulations on the Italian islands of Sardinia. Remember that island we talked before? And the Tuscan province of Grosetto. So, it is a cheese that can be expensive but extremely beneficial. When grated onto like simple green salads or vegetable dishes, it is wonderful. It can also be used in whole grain salads, frittatas and some other egg dishes as well. Now, the next on the list is cottage cheese. So, one ounce has only 27 calories, one gram of fat, three grams of protein. There is a solid reason why cottage cheese has traditionally been regarded as nutritious whole food. This cheese is set to aid in weight loss and bone health while at the same time increasing calcium, protein and nutrient consumption among other things. It's possible to make cottage cheese by actually heating and curdling milk with the help of an acidic medium such as vinegar or lime juice. As the milk comes to a boil, it starts to curdle and create lumps of curdled milk. A large lump of cottage cheese is made from these curds once they have been pressed and molded. In fact, this method is so simple that you can even make your own cottage cheese right at home using the ingredients that we discussed. Those who are limiting their salt intake may find the cottage cheese as a very good option. And according to a study that was published in BJM, that was an open study of 612 cheeses and cottage cheese had the lowest salt content followed by the feta cheese. Generally speaking, cheeses that are soft and less aged tend to have lower salt content if you're cautious about that. The cottage cheese can be used in a lot of ways in your kitchen and it can be like a base of a meal. You can serve it with some fresh fruit, nuts and seeds to round the flavor profile of that dish. Now cheddar cheese is number four that has one ounce, has around 115 calories, six grams of protein, nine grams of fat and around five to six grams of saturated fat. Now this one is a sharp one or it could be even extra sharp and this cheese is believed to have originated in the United Kingdom in the same place by the same name, cheddar. It is the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom and the second most popular cheese in the United States right behind the mozzarella. This cheese has the potential to be a healthy option. Processed cheddar cheeses products with artificial preservatives and some weird yellow coloring should always be avoided at all costs because they are not created from real cheddar cheese. Real cheddar cheese is off-white in color and a mild orange if spices are added and it's matured for three to 18 months depending on the type of cheddar cheese you choose. The cheddar cheese like other cheeses contain a lot of protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, different types of vitamin B's and calcium and which are essential for your muscle and nerve function. Cheddar cheese can be used in a variety of recipes that includes your baked goods which should be very occasional treat but it's great in quiches, risotto, baked breads and sandwiches. Again you have to be very careful when using this cheese and baked foods if you have diabetes. Number five is feta cheese. This one is from Greece. One ounce has 74 calories, six gram of fat, a four gram of that is saturated fat. It is typically made from fermented from sheep or goat milk or a combination of the two used to make that tangy cheese that we call feta. Feta is synonymous with the Mediterranean flavors and can be found in a variety of dishes. This cheese not only has a wide range of culinary applications but it also has a lot of health promoting properties. Because of the high quantities of calcium and vitamin D in feta cheese it may have cancer preventive qualities on an nutritional level. It is believed that the combination of these two nutrients can assist to protect the body against a lot of types of cancer. Feta cheese also contain beneficial bacteria known as probiotics that help to keep your gut healthy as well as it has significant calcium for your bone health. Salty and creamy feta cheese is great with olives and hot peppers and salad dishes and when combined with sweet elements such as watermelon be careful with the watermelon though or you know it's a fruit that can load you up quickly before you know it especially if you're eating with something salty you know sugar something that you have to watch for but it's a great pair. Now number six of course we're gonna have to talk about mozzarella cheese right everybody loves it. One ounce has 85 calories six grams of protein six grams of fat and around four grams of that is saturated fat. In moderation mozzarella contains probiotics that are beneficial for your intestines as well as the protein, fat and minerals that we talked in other cheeses and in particular mozzarella is high in energy producing B vitamins such as B12 which is beneficial for the health of red blood cells as well. Mozzarella cheese is an italian staple that may and should be used in a variety of recipes including salads there are some whole grain meals and so forth. It can even be stuffed with some squashes and it provides a very satisfying vegetarian meal if you're open to you know the cheese in your diet and it's probably the best for diabetics guys. So here we go we talked a lot about cheese today I hope you learned something and if you did please subscribe pass this video to someone you think they may benefit from it and I will see you in the next video ciao hey guys I hope you're enjoying this channel so far and I hope you subscribed already if you didn't do it and if you did watch this video right there I think that will help you too