Feta cheese is lower in fat than many cheeses (around 20 per cent, 14 per cent saturated) but it's high in salt, so avoid adding additional salt when cooking with feta. Reduced-fat feta is a healthier choice (though still high in salt) and is quite widely available.
Many kinds of cheese are naturally lower in fat than others. These include part-skim mozzarella, string cheeses, farmer's cheese, and Neufchâtel. Goat cheese is lower in fat and has fewer calories than cow's milk cheese.
The nutrient-rich feta cheese is made from a mix of goat and sheep milk. It is a rich source of calcium, and it improves bone health, promotes weight loss, and boosts gut health. Moderate consumption of this cheese is advised for people with high blood pressure as it is matured in salt brine.
Fresh cheese
"They also tend to be lowest in fats and cholesterol." A serving of cottage cheese or ricotta will pack a healthy dose of protein, and they're typically lower in calories; half a cup of cottage cheese is roughly 110 calories.
Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, LDN, FAND, owner of Active Eating Advice by Leslie Bonci, recommends feta cheese with "only 25 milligrams of cholesterol per ounce and lower in saturated fat (3 grams) compared to most cheeses." Plus, Bonci says that feta's rich taste means a little goes a long way; you can use less of it ...
Feta contains a fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Experimental studies have shown that CLA can help reduce body fat. These studies also show that CLA can help improve your body composition in the long term.
Feta cheese is known for its lower calorie content in comparison to halloumi. A 30-gram serving of feta contains around 75 calories. This is partly due to its crumbly texture and reduced fat content.
Another protein found in feta cheese nutrition is called histidine. When histidine is combined with vitamin B6, it undergoes a molecular process to become histamine, a compound that provides anti-inflammatory benefits.
'Halloumi is high in protein (to help you maintain and grow your lean muscle mass), contains calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), phosphorus (for bone health), zinc (for cognitive, immune and fertility functions), iodine (for thyroid and cognitive function) and vitamin A (to support your immunity, vision and skin),' ...
Goat Cheese
Goat cheese has 0 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams of fat! Because of the protein structure differences when compared to cow's milk, goat cheese is often more easily digested and is naturally lower in lactose.
If you're looking for the leanest option, your best bet is fresh cheese. Such unripened cheeses include goat cheese, feta, ricotta and cottage cheese.
Feta cheese contains good amounts of a fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Animal studies suggest this fatty acid appears to improve body composition by reducing body fat and increasing lean mass. Cheese made from sheep's milk has higher levels of CLA.
Feta cheese does not have many adverse effects if you consume it in moderation. However, excess consumption can lead to uncomfortable stomach symptoms like bloating, flatulence, stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhoea.
Which ones should I avoid? Soft, unpasteurized cheeses like feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, and goat — as well as ready-to-eat meats like hot dogs and deli meats — may contain Listeria, bacteria that cause mild flu-like symptoms in most adults but can be very dangerous for unborn babies.
To make fat-free cheese, then, it's simply a matter of removing the fat from the milk and then using the fat-free milk to make the cheese.
Choose lower-fat cheese such as cottage cheese, mozzarella or feta rather than cream cheese or cheddar as this will help reduce your saturated fat intake.