Ricotta cheese is used in lasagna, omelets, stuffed manicotti, traditional ricotta pie, and delicate tarts. If you have heart disease, you might be understandably wary of eating these foods because cheese is often high in fat and cholesterol, which raise the risk of heart disease. However, the good news is that eaten in moderation, soft cheeses like ricotta might be acceptable.
Mechanism
Animal products such as dairy products and meat have higher levels of saturated fats and cholesterol than other foods. These substances tend to stick to the inside of blood vessels, causing them to become rigid and narrow. The heart is forced to work harder to pump blood through the compromised blood vessels.
Types of Ricotta
Ricotta cheese is made from whole milk or from a combination of whole and skim milk. The USDA mandates that ricotta made from whole milk contain not less than 11 percent milk fat. Part skim ricotta contains less than 11 percent, but more than 6 percent milk fat. The difference between these types of ricotta has important implications regarding the risk for heart disease.
Fat and Cholesterol
A 1/2 cup of ricotta made from whole milk has 10.286 g saturated fat and 63 mg cholesterol. A 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta has 6.109 g saturated fat and 38 mg cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that people limit their intake of saturated fats to less than 7 percent of total daily calories. Cholesterol should be limited to less than 300 mg per day; people with heart disease or high cholesterol should limit this to 200 mg per day. Replacing whole milk ricotta with part skim ricotta can help you control helps control cholesterol levels because part skim ricotta has roughly 40 percent less fat and cholesterol.
Warning
While ricotta is relatively low in cholesterol and saturated fat, it is often used with other high cholesterol ingredients. For example, lasagna often includes hamburger meat -- and even vegetarian lasagnas call for mozzarella, parmesan and other high cholesterol cheeses. Omelets that call for ricotta include high cholesterol eggs. Ricotta pie calls for pie crusts made with butter. If you are watching your cholesterol, evaluate the cholesterol content of all the ingredients in a dish.
