The Pritikin diet is a food plan based on the 1984 bestselling book "The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise" by Nathan Pritikin. Key components of the diet are consuming healthy, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, seafood and whole grains. The plan is low in total fat and sodium and high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and antioxidants. Since it is suggested to keep your total calorie intake from fat to less than 10 percent, the variety of cheese that you can eat is severely limited.
Pritikin Menu
It is recommended to consume two calcium-rich foods each day. On the list of approved calcium-rich foods is a half-cup of nonfat ricotta cheese. Fat-free ricotta cheese has 45 calories per half-cup serving, 0 g of fat, as well as 0 g of saturated and trans fats. It also contains 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance, or RDA, of calcium. While it's okay to eat some types of cheese while following the Pritikin eating plan, for the most part, eating cheese that contains more than 1 percent of fat is discouraged.
Cheese
You won't find a list of cheeses you can eat on the original Pritikin diet nor in "The New Pritikin Program," which contains a restaurant guide that offers substitution suggestions for meals as varied as a fast-food bacon cheeseburger to buttered noodles. However, based on the nutritional profile of non-fat ricotta cheese, you can find other cheeses that would be appropriate for adhering to a Pritikin eating plan. According to Livestrong's MyPlate, fat-free cheddar cheese contains 45 calories per 1/4 cup serving, 0 g of fat, 0 g of saturated fat and 25 percent of the RDA of calcium. Fat-free cottage cheese contains 70 calories per 1/2 cup, 0 g of fat and 10 percent of the RDA of calcium.
Dairy Recommendations
Consuming two servings of nonfat cheese a day is in line with other expert recommendations, including Massachusetts's Office of Health and Human Services. Because whole dairy foods can be high in calories and fat, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute also suggests substituting your cheddar, Swiss, Jack and mozzarella cheese with fat-free versions or those made with skim milk rather than whole milk.
Considerations
The biggest concern when it comes to eating cheese, according to the Pritikin website and books, is the high fat content. Not all fat is bad, however. Fat provides the body with energy and essential fatty acids and makes up part of a healthy, balanced diet. In order to reduce high-fat, high-calorie dairy, the Mayo Clinic also suggests opting for cheese made with low-fat or skim milk. Some of the nutritional shortcomings in the Pritikin eating plan, according to the Feinberg School at Northwestern University, is its emphasis on nonfat foods, which can result in inadequate essential fatty acid intake. Also, limiting cheese and other foods rich in certain vitamins and calcium could lead to a deficiency. Finally, heavy restrictions on foods you enjoy eating is one of the main reasons people stop adhering to a diet.
References
- Massachusetts's Office of Health and Human Services: Low-Fat or Non-Dairy
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Alternative Foods
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Fat-Free Cheddar Cheese
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Fat Free Cottage Cheese
- MayoClinic.com: Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps to Prevent Heart Disease; March 2011
- Northwestern University: Nutrition Fact Sheet: The New Pritikin Program
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