France is cheese country. Nantes priest, camembert, brie, emmental, goat cheese…. we eat all kinds. According to Statista’s 2021 survey, 90% of French people consume it regularly. They are also 40% to eat daily.
However, this French custom not necessarily healthyalthough like most foods cheese can have certain virtues.
Dairy products: they are useful to the body
Dairy products provide important nutritional qualities for the functioning of the body. In fact, they contain calcium essential for boneswhich is why dairy products are even more important when growth and old age.
“It is advisable to eat 2 dairy products per day by moderating your consumption of fatty and salty cheeses”, recalls the Ameli health insurance site. After age 55, it takes increase your consumption of dairy products to 3 or 4 doses per day.
Dairy has certain virtues but it should not be abused. The recommended portions per day are: 150 ml of milk, 125 g of yoghurt and 30g of cheese. The consumption of cheese should therefore not not be excessive. Dairy product richest in calcium, it is also fattest and saltiestwhich brings him adverse health effects.
Cheese: what health risks?
There currently exists eight families of cheeses. Among these categories are those called “raw milk”. These are cheeses made from milk that has not been heated above 40°C. The latter is therefore not not processed or filteredreason why it is most often a carrier of bacteria. Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and enterohaemorrhagic E.coli are some of the bacteria that may be present.
“In France over the past decade, 34%, 37% and 60% of epidemics, respectively salmonellosis, listeriosis and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) infections, are linked to the consumption of raw milk cheeses”, explains ANSES in April 2022 on its website. In cases of contamination, this food sometimes leads to food poisoning.
But it also contains other inconveniences for the organism. Thus, stopping or reducing its consumption can have many positive consequences for the body.
Several doctors and dieticians have shared for the media Eat this the seven beneficial effects of stopping cheese.criptom health presents them to you in pictures.
Better skin
Stopping or cutting down on cheese can reflect on your skin by giving him a better complexion as well as a better texture. “Reducing cheese can help improve skin tone because it can contribute to excessive sebum productionwhich can cause breakouts or clogged pores,” says internal medicine specialist Dr. Mya Bellinger.
A decrease in headaches and migraines
“Reducing cheese can reduce headaches and migraines caused by the effects of tyramine present in it”, adds the specialist. Tyramine is a compound naturally present in plants and animal products. According to research, too high amounts of tyramine in the body can trigger headaches and migraines.
weight loss
“Reduce cheese can help you lose weight“, suggests Dr. Bellinger. This comes from the fact that it is very fatty and caloric. Not all are equal, some cheeses are much more fattening than others. Parmesan, Gruyere and Cheddar are among these types. very caloric, which can also promote belly fat.
A reduction in the risk of cancer
Too much cheese consumption can also increase the risk of cancer. This risk comes from casein, protein present in milk and therefore cheese. This protein is linked to disease. “It has been shown that casein increases tumor growth rates for certain types of tumorssuch as prostate cancer and potentially breast cancer,” says Dana ellis Hunnes, registered dietitian at the UCLA Medical Center and assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
She concludes: “When we eat a lot of cheese, which is mainly made with the casein fraction, we potentially increase this risk.”
A healthier and more ecological lifestyle
If you are looking to live a better lifestyle for the planet, stopping or reducing your cheese consumption is a very good idea. “It takes a lot of water to produce milk in general,” Hunnes points out. She adds thatit takes three times as much water to produce cow’s milk than the average plant-based milk.
Reduced risk of inflammation in the body
Bess Berger, owner of Nutrition by Bess says that cheese and dairy products contain a lot of additivespreservatives and hormones, which can cause inflammation in the body.
“As a PCOS dietitian, (specialist in anti-inflammatory diets) I see women quit dairy and then report headaches and other inflammatory reactions subside,” he says.
The dietitian offers an alternative: “Less processed cheeses are a bit healthier than others. If you want to eat it, I recommend one with as few ingredients as possible, and as much as possible, from a farm where the animals are raised without cruelty.”
A decrease in bloating
“For many, dairy products can cause upset stomach and bloating either due to a lack of adequate enzymes to break down milk sugar, or due to a true allergy,” says Trista Best, dietitian and environmental health specialist.
“Those who lack adequate amounts of lactase, the enzyme that digests milk sugar, are known to be lactose intolerant and experience excessive gastrointestinal upset and bloating when they consume dairy products”, adds the dietician.
