2023-06-13 07:30:01
A cheese sandwich is a standard part of many people’s breakfast or lunch. But cheese is high in saturated fat and salt. Bad for your health, you might think. But is that right? And is it better to put something else between the sandwiches?
“Cheese does indeed contain substances that have been shown to be negative for your health if you eat them separately,” says dairy expert Kasperg Hettinga of Wageningen University. “Think of the saturated fats and the salt. But it also contains substances that mainly have a positive effect on your health: proteins, minerals and vitamins.”
We should not only focus on the individual nutrients, but also look at how the cheese is broken down as a whole. In cheese, these substances do not exist separately from each other, but are captured together in a protein structure. “This structure ensures that you digest everything at about the same time, which is important for the influence that the substances have on your health,” explains Hettinga.
“During the digestion of cheese, the various nutrients – such as calcium and fats – are released simultaneously. Some of the calcium attracts the saturated fats in the cheese, causing them to stick together. Once the calcium is attached to the fat, our body can no longer absorb that saturated fat, which you lose through bowel movements. This way you get rid of some of those unhealthy fats from cheese,” Hettinga explains further. “And that is why the structure of cheese is so important. “If I eat the fat now and hours later the calcium, I would absorb all the saturated fat into my body.”
Two or three cheese sandwiches contain – apart from the bread – about 1.7 grams of salt.
Important source of vitamin K
In addition, it is also important to take into account the high salt content of cheese. “Suppose you eat two to three cheese sandwiches a day: that alone – apart from the bread – already contains about 1.7 grams of salt. That’s 20 percent of it the recommended maximum salt intake.”
On the other hand, the cheese on the same two to three sandwiches also contains about 50 micrograms of vitamin K. “Vitamin K plays an important role in the maintenance of healthy bones and in the clotting of your blood if you have a wound. That 50 micrograms of vitamin K is about 70 percent of what your body needs. Cheese is therefore an important source of vitamin K.”
In addition, cheese is a fermented product. “During fermentation, bacteria are added that ensure that the milk sugars are converted into lactic acid. That is why, for example, milk is sweet and cheese is not.” The live bacteria in fermented products also affect your health. For example, they provide more healthy bacteria in your intestines and help with digestion, making it easier for you to absorb vitamins and minerals.
All in all, cheese contains both healthy and unhealthy nutrients. “This means that cheese does not pose a health risk: people who eat a lot of cheese are not necessarily unhealthier. Although there is also no proven positive effect. But: a cheese sandwich can therefore be done without worrying about health,” concludes Hettinga.
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