Blue cheese, sometimes spelled bleu cheese, is most often made from cow's or goat's milk. During its preparation, cheese makers inoculate blue cheese with one or more types of mold spores that give it the blue-green veined appearance for which it is known. Tangy blue cheese is rich in vitamins and minerals and, if eaten in moderation, can be part of a healthy diet.
Calories and Fat
A 1-oz. serving of blue cheese contributes 100 calories to your overall meal plan. It makes a good snack at this serving size as a between-meal snack should, according to The Diet Channel, contain 100 to 200 calories. Over 70 percent of the calories in a serving of blue cheese derive from fat, so this a pricey food in terms of your allowable daily fat content, which should comprise 20 to 35 percent of the total daily calories. Of the 8.1 g of fat in a 1 oz. portion, 5.3 g are saturated fat, a type of fat that may raise your cholesterol.
Protein and Carbohydrates
Blue cheese gets very few of its calories from carbohydrates. One serving has 0.7 g of carbs, a far cry from the 130 g you should include in your diet each day. A 1 oz. serving of blue cheese provides you with 6.1 g of protein, which accounts for 10.9 to 13.3 percent of the 46 to 56 g recommended for daily consumption.
Vitamins
A 1 oz. serving of blue cheese provides 6 percent of the daily value for vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 plays a critical role in DNA production and keeps your nerves healthy. You will also get 5 percent of the daily value for pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, from a serving of blue cheese, as well as 4 percent of the daily value for vitamin A.
Minerals
A serving of blue cheese serves as a good source of calcium, providing 15 percent of the daily value. Calcium is important for healthy teeth and bones. Blue cheese also contains 11 percent of the daily value for phosphorus, as well as 5 percent for zinc.
Health Concerns
Eat a serving of blue cheese, and you ingest 395.5 mg of sodium. If you must monitor your sodium consumption, limit your intake of other sodium-rich foods to stay under the recommended 1,500 mg per day. You may also need to avoid eating blue cheese if you are pregnant. Many blue cheese varieties have not undergone pasteurization, so bacteria that may cause birth defects or miscarriages are not destroyed.
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