CHEESE!

I once had an aunt challenge me to give up cheese for a week. Or maybe it was a month, but either way I couldn't do it! I've never done well on eating plans that completely restrict a food, and while I don't eat tons of cheese, I do like a sprinkle here and there. Regular cheese is notorious for saturated fat content, which leads to all kinds of issues both weight and health wise. However, you (or I!) don't have to give it up completely. Decent reduced fat cheese is available, and I personally believe reduced/low fat dairy can be used in moderation with any eating plan. As always, pay close attention to serving sizes! Most shredded cheese is in 1/4 cup servings, which isn't a whole lot, so measure it out and don't feel you have to use the entire serving if you feel you can go with less. I find and 1/8 cup on a taco or turkey burger will do for me, and that's usually less than 50 calories.

I'm a big, big fan of Sargento reduced-fat sharp cheddar, but do note that it doesn't melt quite as well as its full fat counterpart. If I'm watching my money, I will go with Kraft pizza cheese, which is half cheddar and half mozzarella. Since most mozzarella is made with lower fat milk, it's naturally lower in fat than cheddars without being labeled (and priced) "reduced fat." Just make sure the mozzarella is labeled "part skim," as there are whole milk mozzarellas out there. Since the Kraft pizza cheese is half and half, you are still getting the cheddar but it's lower in fat and a little cheaper than purchasing the reduced fat packages. Some store brands have a pizza blend, or you can easily make your own by combining a regular cheddar (or even better, a reduced fat cheddar for an even lower calorie/fat count!) and keeping it in a freezer bag or Tupperware-like container.

Put a 1/4 cup of some reduced fat cheese on some healthy bread (will post later on that) and enjoy an under 200 calorie grilled cheese. Or my personal favorite--add it to some baked french fries and indulge guilt-free on some cheese fries :)