American cheese is a pasteurized cheese product. According the the Code of Federal Regulations, cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these may be designated as "American cheese.” American cheese is typically packaged in individual slices of 3/4 to 1 ounce.
Dairy Servings
The USDA recommends that adults eat three servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy each day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The sources for fulfilling your dairy recommendations can be milk, cheese, yogurt or fortified soy milk or other fortified dairy substitutes. One serving of cheese is 1 ounce and it should have 3 grams of fat or fewer per ounce to qualify as “low-fat.”
Macronutrients
Each 1-oz. slice of regular American cheese contains 94 calories, 2.36 grams of carbohydrate, 5.57 grams of protein, 6.93 grams of total fat, 4.35 grams of saturated fat, 18 milligrams of cholesterol and 0 grams of fiber. To reduce the fat and calorie content, look for cheese made with 2 percent or skim milk. Cheese slices made with 2 percent milk have about 35 percent less fat and slices made with skim milk are fat-free.
Minerals
The mineral content of 1 ounce of American cheese includes 141 milligrams of calcium, 0.24 milligrams of iron, 9 milligrams of magnesium, 113 milligrams of phosphorus, 103 milligrams of potassium, 274 milligrams of sodium, 0.85 milligrams of zinc, 0.009 milligrams of copper, 0.003 milligrams of manganese and 4.6 micrograms of selenium.
Vitamins
American cheese is a good source of vitamin A, providing 200 international units per ounce, which is 22.2 percent of the daily recommendation for adult men and 28.6 percent of the daily recommendation for adult women. Other vitamins include 0.009 milligrams of thiamin, 0.126 milligrams of riboflavin, 0.021 milligrams of niacin, 0.277 milligrams of pantothenic acid, 0.04 milligrams of vitamin B-6, 1 microgram of folate and 0.36 micrograms of vitamin B-12.
References
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory; National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; Cheese Food, Cold Pack, American
- USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; December 2010
- USDA; USDA Commodity Requirements Document; September 2010
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21; April 2011
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements; Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids
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