Low Carb - Choose the Right Cheese to Hit Your Daily Protein Goal

cheesy meals

Cheese, glorious cheese. So sumptuous and luscious. Take the wayback machine to the 1980s, and those are the opening lines to a popular cheese commercial paid for by the National Dairy Board.

You’ll see frames of cheese sliced and grated, cheese sauce being poured on broccoli, a kid dishing up a cheesy casserole, a guy taking a bite out of a taco topped with cheese, a grandma ready to munch a cheesy piece of pizza, and more. Watch the commercial here.

But before you head to the fridge to get your cheese fix, some cheeses are more suitable for a Low-Carb diet than others. And it all depends on the type of cheese, how it’s made, and how long it’s aged.

Most Low-Carb dieters intentionally eat higher amounts of protein. And if you want some healthy cheese options to help you hit your daily protein goal, there’s one cheese that’s better than all the rest...Parmesan cheese. It contains about 10 grams of protein per ounce. One ounce of Parmesan cheese will also add about 100 calories to your total daily calories.

But Parmesan isn’t the only high-protein option when it comes to cheese. A number of other popular cheeses contain about 6 to 8 grams of protein per ounce, and include:

  • Blue cheese
  • Brie
  • Cheddar
  • Gouda
  • Mozzarella

Cheeses that don’t make the cut for being high in protein include cheese spreads, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and pretty much anything called “cheese” that comes in a can or squirt bottle. These cheeses can be higher in carbs, and most don’t contain more than 3 grams of protein per ounce.

Hungry for some cheesy Low-Carb meals? There’s plenty to choose from on the menu like: