American cheese is an essential ingredient in many traditional American recipes, including cheeseburgers and cheese sandwiches that are grilled. Read delicious American Cheese Nutrition Facts here!
If you’ve been a victim of it You’re left wondering about what American cheese is and if it’s really as poor as its name suggests.
This article focuses on American cheese, beginning with its nutritional composition and possible positives to negatives.
What exactly is American cheese?
American cheese is kind of cheese that is processed by mixing a variety of cheeses, such as Cheddar cheese washed curd cheese Colby cheese and Granular cheese (1).
Although it is referred to as “American cheese,” its official title can be described as “pasteurized process cheese food.”
As opposed to natural cheese which is made entirely out of milk American cheese is created from a mixture of cheeses. The cheese blend should make up more than 51% or less of the product’s weight (1 2Trusted Source).
Other ingredients include acidifying agents salt, water artificial coloring, emulsifying agents that stop separation and also flavorings made from artificial ingredients (1).
American cheese is mild in flavor and has a smooth texture. Its color ranges from light yellow to white as well as an orange (3).
It is typically offered in the form of blocks that are solid, shredded cubes, spreads or individual wrapped slices, which are typically referred to in the form of “singles.”
In contrast to natural cheese, that is made from milk. American cheddar is processed and that is made from mixing Cheddar cheese washed curd cheese Colby cheese and granular cheese in addition to other ingredients.
American cheese nutrition facts
American cheese is a healthy choice that has both as well as unhealthy nutritional properties.
1 ounce (28-gram) one piece of American cheese can provide (4Trusted Original):
- Calories: 102
- Carbs: 1.3 grams
- Protein: 5 grams
- Fat 9 grams
- Calcium: 23% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Sodium: 21% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 14% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 11% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 10% of the DV
- Zinc: 6% of the DV
On the other side, American cheese is a low carb cheese as well as a an excellent source of protein of high quality. It’s also enhanced with vitamin D, and naturally high in minerals and vitamins like vitamin A calcium, phosphorus, and zinc.
Also, read 20 Interesting Facts About Cheese!!
Vitamin D is a great supplement to strengthen your bones by enhancing how calcium is absorbed and the absorption rate of phosphorus. vitamin A improves the health of your eyes and immune system and zinc is essential to growth as well as digestion and DNA synthesizing (5Trusted Source 6Trusted Source, 7TrustedSource).
However, American cheese is a food that is high in calories and has significant amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol as well as sodium.
Of nine grams of saturated fat contained in one portion of American cheese 5 grams of it are saturated fats. They comprise 25 percent in your DV — which is the recommended amount of calories to consume, or not exceed daily. A similar portion size contains 10 percent from cholesterol’s DV in cholesterol (4Trusted Source).
A diet high in sodium and saturated fat are linked to an higher risk of developing heart disease, which includes atherosclerosis, also known as plaque buildup elevated blood pressure (8Trusted Source 9Trusted Source Source).
How does it compare to other cheeses?
Although American cheese is among the most well-known cheeses sliced There is a wide assortment of cheeses that can be sliced and pick from.
The chart below shows one-ounce (28-gram) slice made of American, Swiss, and Cheddar cheeses (4Trusted Source 11Trusted Source, 12TrustedSource):
American cheese Swiss cheese Cheddar cheese
Calories 102 111 114
Fat 9 grams 9 grams 9 grams 9 grams
Saturated fat 5 grams 5 grams grams
Protein 5 grams 8 grams 6 grams
Carbs 1.3 grams 0.4 grams 0.9 grams
Calcium 23% of the Daily Value (DV) 19% of the DV 15% of the DV
Sodium 21% of the DV 2% of the DV 8% of the DV
Each of Swiss and Cheddar cheeses have slightly higher calories because of their higher protein content in comparison to American cheese. However the three cheeses have the identical amount of total and saturated fats per slice.
Yet, American cheese has the highest levels of calcium and carbs as well as a sodium level between 10 and four times higher than both cheeses, respectively.
SUMMARY
American cheese is high in calories with high fat content and high sodium food item. But it also contains excellent levels of protein and vitamins and minerals like vitamin D and vitamins A and D, calcium, phosphorus and zinc.
HEALTHLINE CHALLENGE
Do you want to feel fuller without diet?
Change your approach to your eating habits by looking at a different part of your mindful food every day.
Potential benefits
American cheese does have a few advantages to offer.
Calcium is a major component.
While calcium can be found in dairy products and nondairy food items dairy products, such as American cheese comprise about 70% of calcium intake within the United States (13Trusted Source).
Calcium is the mineral that composes the majority of your bones’ structure. It is essential to strengthen bones and can aid in preventing osteoporosis, which is a disease that causes an increase in likelihood of fractures due to fragil bones (14Trusted source).
While it is most often referred to as a bone-supporting mineral Calcium is involved in numerous other bodily functions. These include:
Blood pressure. Studies on animals and humans show that an intake of calcium could help lower the systolic blood pressure which is the highest number of a reading for those who have a low calcium intake. It also reduces the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women (13Trusted Source 14Trusted Source).
Blood cholesterol. Research suggests that calcium could assist in lowering both total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and also raise HDL (good) cholesterol (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Communication between nerve cells. The body relies on calcium for helping the neurons communicate with each other to regulate body movements, bodily hormones along with organ activities (14Trusted Sourceand 15 Trusted Source).
Protein of the highest quality source
Alongside fats and carbohydrates Protein is among the three macronutrients.
The nutritional value of a protein varies depending on the amino acid content. Protein sources are classified as either high- or low-quality in relation to their ability to provide all amino acids essential to life, which are the fundamental building proteins.
Dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt contain the essential amino acids and amino acids, they are considered to be good protein sources of high-quality (16Trusted Source).
So, having a little piece of American cheese could help increase your intake of high quality protein.
Extended shelf time
Since it is a processed product American cheese has a long shelf-life compared to the natural varieties of cheeses (2Trusted Source).
In actual fact unlike soft cheeses that require refrigeration to protect themselves, American cheese doesn’t need refrigeration until it’s opened. However, it’s likely to last longer if it is keep it refrigerated (17).
After opening, it could be kept for up to two months in your refrigerator (18).
SUMMARY
American cheese is an excellent source of calcium as well as high-quality protein. Also, it has longer shelf-life as compared to soft natural.
Health risks that might be of concern
The main health risks that are associated with eating American cheese is the high levels of saturated fat and sodium content.
Consuming a lot of saturated fats could increase LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis. (8Trusted Source 19Trusted Source).
Atherosclerosis is defined as an increase in the size of the arteries as a result of plaque build-up. It’s a risk factor in stroke and heart disease, and is one of the major causes of death in the world. (8Trusted Sources, 18Trusted Source).
The current dietary guidelines for Americans suggest consuming low-fat or fat-free dairy products studies suggest that dairy’s saturated fat isn’t harmful to heart health. However, it could be neutral or even beneficial impact (20Trusted Source, 21TrustedSource, and 22Trusted Source).
In terms of its sodium content, research suggests that diets rich in sodium may increase the risk of hypertension which is also known as high blood pressure. however, reducing your sodium intake can reduce the chance of developing this disease (9Trusted Source, 23TrustedSource, 24TrustedSource).
The data shows that the average sodium consumption within the United States exceeds the recommendations by 48%. And, as mentioned above, one slices of American cheese supplies 20 percent of the recommended daily dose in sodium (4Trusted Source 24Trusted Source).
That means that eating excessive amounts of American cheese can result in sodium consumption overconsumption. This can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.
SUMMARY
American cheese is rich in sodium and saturated fat Both of these can raise the chance of having high blood pressure and heart disease.
How often should you consume American cheese?
American cheese contains nutritious nutrients of high-quality. However, the less healthy ones could be more harmful than the healthier ones.
Although there aren’t any guidelines from the FDA regarding American intake of cheese, it’s wise to limit the amount you consume to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Furthermore, while it could be a good source for protein and calcium, other dairy products such as yogurt, milk and other healthful cheeses are excellent sources of these nutrients too.
