Murals found in Egyptian tombs indicate that cheese has been in existence since at least 2000 B.C. Today there are hundreds of different cheeses; you'll find at least 670 listed at Cheese.com. While cheese is naturally high in fat, it's also very nutritious, providing protein, calcium and phosphorus.
Definition
Different varieties of cheese are determined by the type of milk used (like cow, goat, sheep and buffalo), how it's processed and how long it's aged. This article considers the nutritional value of two high-fat cheeses made from cow's milk: cheddar and Swiss. Nutritional information comes from the USDA database as provided by NutritionData.com and is provided for a portion size of 1 oz. (28g), which is equal to about one slice.
Basic Nutrition
Cheddar and Swiss have 113 and 106 calories, and provide 7 and 7.5g of protein (respectively). These values represent 6 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) for calories and 14 to 15 percent DV of protein (based on a diet of 2,000 calories a day). The two cheeses do not provide any dietary fiber.
Fats
The total fat content in cheddar cheese is 9.3g (14 percent DV) and Swiss cheese has 7.8g (12 percent DV). The amount of saturated fat is extremely high; 6g in cheddar and 5g in Swiss, which represents an average of 27 percent DV. The cheeses have 26 to 29mg of cholesterol (9 to 10 percent DV). However, they also provide cholesterol-lowering unsaturated fats (2.3 to 2.9g) and heart-healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Men get about 6.25 percent of the recommended daily intake of omega-3 and 0.94 percent of omega-6, while women gain 9 percent of omega-3 and 1.3 percent of omega-6.
Vitamins
Both high-fat cheeses are good sources of riboflavin (0.1mg or 6 percent DV) and vitamin A (232 IU in Swiss and 281 IU in cheddar, or 5 and 6 percent DV). They also supply 1 percent of the recommended daily value of the B vitamins thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin K. Swiss cheese is significantly higher in vitamin B12, with 0.9 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B12 (16 percent DV) compared to cheddar's 0.23mcg (4 percent DV).
Minerals
As a milk product, cheese is an excellent source of calcium. Cheddar has 202mg (20 percent DV) and Swiss has 221mg (22 percent DV). They're a great source of phosphorus; cheddar has 143mg (14 percent DV) and Swiss provides 159mg (16 percent DV). Cheddar and Swiss are also good sources of zinc and selenium, with an average of 1mg of zinc (7 percent DV) and 4.6mcg of selenium (6.5 percent DV). The two cheeses provide 1 percent DV of iron and potassium. Cheddar is significantly higher in salt. A 1-oz. serving of cheddar has 174mg of sodium, compared to Swiss with only 53.8mg.
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