Cheese plate: Not all cheese is automatically high in fat and bad for a diet. (Source: Liudmila Chernetska/getty-images-bilder)
Processed cheese, grilled cheese, semi-hard cheese: the dairy product is particularly popular among Germans and is nevertheless criticized for its calories.
Milk and dairy products such as cheese contain high-quality proteins, but also vitamins and calcium. Nevertheless, when dieting, cheese is considered to be too high in calories and fat to be included in large quantities in the diet.
The German Nutrition Society (DGE), for example, recommends only around two slices or 50 to 60 grams of cheese per day per person. But there are also cheese products that contain fewer calories.
Save calories when shopping
A basic tip when choosing a lower-fat cheese is the abbreviation “Fett i. Tr.” on the packaging: This stands for “fat in dry matter” and indicates how much fat the cheese contains when the water content is subtracted. For example, semi-hard cheese with around 30 percent fat in dry matter is considered to be lower in calories. When it comes to other cheese products such as cream cheese or mozzarella, it is also advisable to choose the low-fat version.
A basic distinction is made between cream cheese, hard cheese, semi-hard cheese, semi-hard cheese, soft cheese, sour milk cheese and processed cheese. The differences between the types of cheese arise from ripening, water and fat content or type of coagulation. For example, cream cheese is not ripened.
Types of cheese that contain fewer calories
The following types of cheese are considered particularly low in calories, each with the calorie count per 100 grams:
- Grainy cream cheese: 65 kcal
- Layered cheese: 80 kcal
- Cottage cheese: 91 kcal
- Harz cheese: 113 kcal
- Ziger: 124 kcal
- Hand cheese: 125 kcal
- Sour milk cheese: 126 kcal
- Cooking cheese: 131 kcal
- Ricotta: 174 kcal
- Shepherd’s cheese: 209 kcal
- Slice: 209 kcal
- Feta: 210 kcal
So if you want to save calories, it’s worth choosing feta or shepherd’s cheese instead of Gouda (364 kcal) for a casserole or pizza. In a salad, swapping mozzarella (300 kcal) for feta (210 kcal) can make a difference.
And you might also like cottage cheese (91 kcal) on the bread instead of cream cheese (340 kcal). And: Camembert (254 kcal) contains significantly fewer calories than Brie (334 kcal).
Types of cheese that contain a particularly high amount of calories
On the other hand, there are also types of cheese that you should avoid or only enjoy in moderation if you are on a diet or generally follow a calorie-conscious diet. The front runner is Halloumi cheese with 495 calories per 100 grams , closely followed by Gjetost (466 kcal); Mascarpone (460 kcal), Parmesan (431 kcal) and Gruyère (421 kcal).Many popular types of cheese such as Gouda, Emmental or Chester as well as mountain cheese are in the upper midfield with calorie values between 360 and 390 kcal per 100 grams.