Is Cheese “Clean”?

Most exercise magazines I’ve read state that cheese is the antichrist, so why do I see cheese as ingredients in some clean eating recipes?

It seems like this is a pretty heated topic in the world of health food peeps. Some people don’t even like pasteurized milk. Just coming off a 24 hour stomach bug, I’m going to have to vote for pasteurization. Moo.

Actually, I’m lactose intolerant (like most people over the age of five) so this summer I switched to unsweetened almond milk, which is actually quite tasty. But back to cheese…what makes some cheeses clean and others dirty?

According to the Gracious Pantry, block cheese is ok if it’s full fat, and cottage cheese is not clean but is acceptable because it has high protein and is portable. According to an open forum on TheEatCleanDiet.com Parmesan is great because it’s lower in fat and has a stronger taste so you can use less and everyone seems to agree that feta and goat cheese rock.

I will admit it openly: I had to consult Clean Eating for Dummies for the definitive answer. The rule of thumb in clean eating is to avoid processed foods where you can, but some processed foods, such as cheese, are ok provided you can pronounce all the ingredients on the label. (Of course if you are a science major and words like polysaccharide xanthan gum rolls trippingly off your tongue, this probably isn’t the best advice for you.)

Summary: Low fat cheese is ok in small portions.

Now aren’t you glad I did all that extensive research so you didn’t have to?

Lisa 😉

@sheslosingitnet
http://www.facebook.com/ShesLosingItnet

Is Cheese “Clean”?

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