While some recipes requiring cheese may call for a certain cheese, others may not, and you will have the option to choose a cheese low in sodium or high in other vitamins or minerals. With hundreds of different cheeses on the market, you may have a hard time choosing the healthiest options.
Hard Cheese
Hard cheeses, which are the firmest types of cheese, include asiago, parmesan, romano and pecorino cheese. Hard cheeses typically contain about 110 calories, 9 to 10 g of protein and 7 to 8 g of fat per oz. Hard cheeses are higher in calcium than softer cheeses, with each serving supplying between 30 and 35 percent of the daily value. However, hard cheeses are also higher in sodium, with each ounce containing between 400 and 500 mg. Most hard cheeses also supply more than 25 percent of the daily value of phosphorus and 10 percent of B-12 per serving.
Semi-hard Cheese
Semi-hard cheeses are similar in calorie content to hard cheese, with most containing 100 to 115 calories, 7 g of protein and 8 to 9 g of fat per oz. Most semi-hard cheeses provide 10 to 15 percent of the daily value of calcium and more than 15 percent of phosphorus per serving. Each serving also typically provides more than 10 percent of B-12 and more than 5 percent of vitamin A. Semi-hard cheeses are lower in sodium than hard cheeses, with about 175 to 250 mg per serving. Cheddar, gouda, Monterey jack and provolone are all semi-hard cheeses.
Semi-soft Cheese
American, Colby and fontina are among the types of semi-soft cheese. These types of cheese typically contain about 110 calories, 7 g of protein and 9 g of fat per serving. Each serving provides more than 15 percent of calcium and more than 10 percent of phosphorus, as well as 10 to 20 percent of B-12 and 8 percent of vitamin A. Semi-soft cheeses are similar in sodium content to semi-hard cheeses.
Soft Cheese
Soft cheeses, such as cream cheese, feta and brie, are lower in calories than other cheeses, but they are also lower in protein and calcium. A typical soft cheese contains 70 to 95 calories, 2 to 6 g of protein and 5 to 15 g of fat per serving. Some soft cheeses, such as feta, contain about 15 percent of the daily value of calcium per serving. Others, such as cream cheese, however, supply only 3 percent per serving. Soft cheeses provide 5 to 15 percent of phosphorus and 5 to 12 percent of vitamin A. The B-12 content of soft cheeses varies widely, with each serving supplying from 3 to 27 percent. The sodium content also varies greatly. Cream cheese contains only 91 mg, while feta contains 316 mg.
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