Why Cheese is Healthier Than You Think, and the Easiest Way to Entertain

You may think of cheese as a party food, but not exactly as a health food. Well, we say it can be both. The 57 calories per half-ounce (about the size of your thumb) is about the same as 2 tablespoons of hummus—and it goes much better with a glass of pinot noir, if you ask us. Plus, the handcrafted artisan cheeses we’re seeing more of on the market are so packed with flavor, you only need a sliver for satisfaction.

You can grate aged cheeses like Parmesan and Asiago to add flavor to dishes for much less fat. And most aged cheeses are lactose-free (the milk sugar drops as cheese ages). Serve up an easy cheese plate at your next party with these tips.

How to serve
“Focus on diversity—in texture, in types of milk, even in appearance,” says Janet Fletcher, author of The Cheese Course. You could try serving a soft goat cheese with a smoky blue cheese made from cow’s milk, for example. Or compare similar cheeses from different locations—say cheddars from England and California—so that you can taste the effect of a particular place on the cheese.

When to serve
Serve a cheese course as a leisurely end to dinner, or in place of dessert. “If you have a cheese platter at the start when people are hungry, they tend to overindulge,” Fletcher says.

What to add
“Even one beautiful piece of cheese makes a great presentation,” Fletcher says. But if you want to include an accompaniment, nuts or fresh or dried fruit go nicely. “My favorite is a drizzle of honey on a pungent blue, like Valdeón from Spain.” Fletcher prefers serving cheese with bread instead of crackers, but stick to a basic baguette instead of an herby loaf so it doesn’t compete with the cheese.

What not to do
Fletcher’s one rule for cheese: “Don’t serve it cold.” Remove it from the fridge early—the bigger the block, the longer it’ll need—and keep it under wraps (cover with a dome or overturned bowl) until it’s at room temperature, when flavor and texture are at their prime. To keep things safe, of course, don’t leave any food out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.

By Lia Huber

Last Updated: February 23, 2009
Filed Under: Healthy Cooking

Why We Eat Junk Food When We’re Stressed … and How to Stop

By Julie Upton, RD

I was having a particularly stressful day last week while cramming for a major certification exam, and my husband brought home a card and small bag of one of my favorite sweets—Swedish Fish. The inside of the card said what I knew all too well: “Stressed” is “desserts” spelled backward.

Yes, stress and desserts are inexorably linked for many women who, like me, feel that a sugar fix is sweet salvation from deadlines, 401(k)s, traffic, bills, your husband (boyfriend, girlfriend), a demanding boss or sick child … and the list goes on.

As a dietitian, I know all about the problems that go along with emotional eating. And I have the tools in my arsenal to recognize the source of my cravings—stress—and find healthier ways to cope that don’t involve sugar, chocolate, or saturated fat.

I know I’m not alone in my noshing. Everyone I talk to lately is concerned (and stressed) about the economy. In fact, so many people have been gaining weight from the prospects of their portfolios that new terms have been coined—“layoff lard,” “the “reorg 15.”

Although I devoured my Swedish fish in a record-setting 20 minutes last week, I normally try to take steps to tame my sweet tooth when I feel the pressure rise. Here are my favorite edible anxiety antidotes that hit the spot without sabotaging my waistline.

Sugar-free gum
Keep it at your desk, or in your purse, gym bag, or car. I find mint flavors are best because their flavor lasts longest and makes just about everything sweet taste funky, so sugary snacks are less appealing.

Crystal Light lemonade
I mix up a bottle of water with a Crystal Light On the Go packet, and it hits the spot for at least 20 minutes.

Silk Light hot chocolate
A deliciously smooth treat that brings me back to the comfort food of my youth is hot chocolate. These days I whip up a healthier version with 80-calorie Silk Light soy milk and dark cocoa powder, so I get all the antioxidants of cocoa flavonoids in less than 100 calories.

Sunsweet Ones
These sweet prune gems are great because they are packed with fiber but only have 25 calories per prune. And because they are individually wrapped I have to take a break after eating each one to get to the next. That little process helps the brain make a decision to either continue eating or stop.

Chocolate-covered biscotti
When chocolate is the only thing that will satisfy, I will get a chocolate-covered biscotti at the local Starbucks. Biscotti are lower in calories and fat than other cookies and have just the right amount of chocolate to tame my sweet tooth.

Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Oh, and while I’m getting my biscotti, I opt for the Tall Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte. It’s supersweet, but because it’s made with skim milk it contains all the nutrients of milk (like calcium) in a mere 90 calories.

Last Updated: March 13, 2009
Filed Under: Experts and Bloggers