What Types of Cheese Are the Lowest in Fat?

With few exceptions, cheeses are high in fat, especially saturated fat. Depending on the particular type, half to three-quarters of the calories in cheese come from fat, approximately half of which is saturated. But cheese is also a concentrated source of protein, riboflavin, and, except for cottage cheese, calcium.

Cheese is made from milk heated with an enzyme or rennet to separate the milk solids from the liquid, or whey. The milk solids are usually salted and pressed, and if the cheese is to be ripened (aged), bacteria or molds are introduced. Among unopened cheeses, dry-curd cottage cheese has the least fat, less than even low-fat cottage cheese. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is very high in fat; when making spreads and dips, consider substituting lower-fat alternatives such as farmer or hoop cheese for cream cheese. But be careful when using part-skim ricotta and part-skim mozzarella; they are only about one-third lower in fat and one-tenth lower in calories than their whole-milk counterparts.

Most hard, ripened cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan, have a high fat content and should be eaten sparingly. The same is true of the pasteurized process cheeses, such as American or Swiss process cheese, which are blends of several cheeses. Pasteurized process cheese foods are also cheese blends, but they include other milk products and possibly emul-sifiers and other additives. Process cheese foods have somewhat less fat than natural cheeses, but the level is still high.

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Cheese is made from milk heated with an enzyme or rennet to separate the milk solids from the liquid, or whey. The milk solids are usually salted and pressed, and if the cheese is to be ripened (aged), bacteria or molds are introduced. Among unopened cheeses, dry-curd cottage cheese has the least fat, less than even low-fat cottage cheese. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is very high in fat; when making spreads and dips, consider substituting lower-fat alternatives such as farmer or hoop cheese for cream cheese. But be careful when using part-skim ricotta and part-skim mozzarella; they are only about one-third lower in fat and one-tenth lower in calories than their whole-milk counterparts.

Most hard, ripened cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan, have a high fat content and should be eaten sparingly. The same is true of the pasteurized process cheeses, such as American or Swiss process cheese, which are blends of several cheeses. Pasteurized process cheese foods are also cheese blends, but they include other milk products and possibly emul-sifiers and other additives. Process cheese foods have somewhat less fat than natural cheeses, but the level is still high.