As Watkins explains, Halloumi is 'high in saturated fat (12g per 70g), which has been linked with 'bad' cholesterol levels. It also matters how you prepare the halloumi as adding lots of oil – if frying – will increase the calorie count.
Halloumi cheese is high in fat making it quite calorific. When on a weight loss diet based on lowering your calorie intake, high amounts of Halloumi cheese could quickly cause a calorie build up. There are now lower calorie halloumi options you can choose for your weight loss diet, but be mindful of how much you eat!
Halloumi composes about 15g of saturated fats/3.5 Oz, making it one of the high saturated fat food items. Saturated fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol which increases the risk for heart disease and stroke.
Considering halloumi cheese for weight loss is not a good option. Even though it has a good amount of protein, it is also high in fat. Therefore, it is recommended not to consume halloumi for weight loss. Instead, low-fat/non-fat cottage cheese or tofu can assist in your weight loss journey.
Brands vary, but feta is usually the winner. Haloumi tends to have more calories and a higher fat content. Plus, it usually has more salt. Haloumi makes a good cooking cheese thanks to its high melting point.
This means that halloumi should be consumed in moderation, and it really doesn't need any added salt when preparing it. Because of its higher salt content, it's best to enjoy one to two slices of halloumi about once a week or less.
Keep cheese portions small and weigh them to reduce temptation. Using lower-fat cheeses – such as mozzarella, feta, cottage cheese or reduced-fat cheeses – will provide less saturated fat.
Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and fat-free cheeses are not as popular, but they are much healthier. Limiting how much cholesterol and saturated fat you consume is important for keeping your heart healthy.
The best cheeses for heart disease are the ones with less saturated fat and sodium. Swiss cheese is probably the best choice, with only 53 mg of sodium per ounce. Mozzarella, goat and ricotta cheeses also fall on the lower side of the sodium scale, with about 130 milligrams per serving.
A great halloumi cheese substitute is feta cheese. Feta is a lovely greek cheese with a crumbly texture and mild flavor. It closely resembles halloumi cheese. Feta is made from sheep's milk, or a combination of sheep's milk and goat's milk, and Is lovely in salad.
You should be especially careful how much of it you're eating and how you're cooking it. "Halloumi is very high in salt, and a portion of 70g contains 2.1g, which is a third of your recommended daily allowance of 6g," says Watkins. "People with high blood pressure should be especially mindful of their salt intake.
Nutritionally haloumi cheese contains slightly less fat (26 per cent) than regular cheddar cheese but more than double the sodium content thanks to the brine used to preserve it. Haloumi is delicious, and as such one of the biggest issues it poses is the risk of overeating.
While halloumi cheese is high in fat, it is also a good source of protein and calcium. Additionally, grilled halloumi cheese has been shown to have some health benefits, including aiding in weight loss, lowering cholesterol levels, and reducing the risk of some types of cancer.
Cutting back on saturated fat (found in meat and dairy products) and trans fat (partially hydrogenated oils) can reduce cholesterol by 5% to 10%.
The worst foods for high cholesterol, given their high saturated fat content, include: Red meat, like beef, pork, and lamb, as well as processed meats like sausage. Full-fat dairy, like cream, whole milk, and butter. Baked goods and sweets.
Other lower-cholesterol choices include an ounce of part-skim mozzarella cheese, which contains 15 milligrams -- compared to whole mozzarella's 22 milligrams -- and an ounce of provolone cheese, which has 20 milligrams of cholesterol. An ounce of Swiss cheese is another lower-cholesterol option with 26 milligrams.
Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol and triglycerides can harden or block your arteries over time, leading to heart disease or atherosclerosis.
A new study finds that consuming butter induces a significantly greater increase in LDL cholesterol compared with cheese, and the effects are particularly pronounced in participants with high baseline LDL cholesterol.
Halloumi Nutrition
While not necessarily a healthy superfood, halloumi cheese is high in protein and calcium. However, halloumi is quite high in sodium, so it's important to eat it in moderation.
Description. Traditional halloumi cheese from Cyprus made from sheep and goat's milk only. Halloumi made with sheep and goat's milk only, without the addition of cow's milk, has a fuller and richer taste and a more elastic and dense texture.
Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese made principally in Cyprus from sheep or goat milk or mixture of the two. The raw milk is coagulated as for Feta cheese. The blocks of the cheese (10 × 10 × 3 cm) are heated at 92–95°C in the whey extracted during draining.