Cheese Away!

Good news for cheese-lovers, and for those wanting to get into cheeses: Eating full-fat cheese may actually in the long-run help you lose weight. The rationale?

"The combination of protein and fat in regular, full-fat cheese is very satiating," says Alan Aragon, a nutritionist in Westlake Village, California, and the Men's Health Weight-Loss Coach. "As a result, eating full-fat cheese holds your appetite at bay for hours, and I've found that it cuts down my clients' food intake at subsequent meals." Aragon's advice: Enjoy snacks of full-fat cheese especially if you're on a diet. "Just don't eat it mindlessly," he says.

Although it's a rather higher-caloried food, eating more now might help you eat less overall! If you're worried about cholesterol:

 Danish scientists found that when men ate a whopping 10 daily 1-ounce servings of full-fat cheese for 3 weeks, their LDL (bad) cholesterol didn't budge. Which isn't to say you should live on the stuff--just that you don't need to fear it. 

Goes to show that natural foods like cheeses and milk, although high in fat, aren't as bad as the more processed foods that have...say...the same face-valued number of calories or grams of fat.

Sounds like a plan. (Remember though: moderation)

TC