According to recent research, those of you who fulfill your daily dairy intake by consuming cheese in all shapes, types, and sizes, are performing positive self-care! Okay, that’s a stretch (like the fresh mozzarella you can find on your local artisan pizza), but one study says there’s a possibility that cheese has been found to be positive for your health, maybe even to the point of helping you live longer.
A study published in “The Lancet” stated that researchers compared the consumption of reduced-fat and full-fat dairy products to see how they affected the cardiovascular health of the test subjects. Reviewing the eating habits of more than 130K people throughout 21 countries, between the ages of 35 and 70, the study determined that eating two servings or more per day in dairy might possibly reduce the consumer’s risk of heart disease and stroke. This included milk and yogurt… but us cheese lovers need to stick together!
Video: YouTube/America’s Heartland
Filmed in the Texas Hill Country in 2011, this video (shared on the America’s Heartland YouTube channel) shows the makers of fresh, premium artisanal goat cheese, CKC Farms, from behind the scenes. This Blanco-based business is where “…a young college girl has turned a hobby into a career making premium goat cheese. It’s cheese that takes center stage in some delicious recipes.” As Chef Dave Lieberman sees in the video, it’s a product that’s having a positive impact locally, and now we know it might be heart-healthy as well! The study on the consumption of full-fat dairy products has the potential to change the way we eat, since it suggests that saturated fats found in dairy are not linked to an increased risk for heart disease. Likewise, it’s been found that consuming a few daily servings of dairy can also keep your bones healthy, and (take heart) those who are lactose intolerant can tolerate both yogurt and hard cheese! Although it’s fantastic that this news has come about, it’s still recommended that before you go jumping on the cheese wagon (wait, is there such a thing? Enquiring minds want to know!) check with your doctor first. If you’re given the green light, then it’s probably a gouda idea (Har, har).
