Deciphering Basics of Cheese From the Label

With more than 2,000 varieties available, there’s a cheese for every occasion, from the perfect topping for a burger for lunch to the perfect complement with wine. But how do you read the complicated labels?

Knowing the basics about cheese and cheese labels can help you determine which varieties are best suited to your diet with regard to fat, sodium and calcium content.

Nutritionists at Dorman-Roth Foods suggest you consider the following when shopping:

--Know your categories. Natural cheese is simply pressed curds that have been aged, two to three months for mild cheese and longer for sharper cheese. Swiss cheese is an example.

Pasteurized process cheese is a blend of fresh and aged natural cheeses that have been shredded, mixed with an emulsifier and heated to stop ripening. American cheese falls into this category.

Pasteurized process cheese food is prepared similarly but has less fat because it has less cheese, more water and more nonfat milk or whey solids.

Pasteurized process cheese spread has even less milk fat and more water.

--Average serving size. Most cheeses will include nutritional information and serving size on the package, but this information will be absent if you buy your cheeses at the deli counter.

An average serving of cheese, including the new “light” cheeses, is generally 1 ounce, equal to one slice or one 1 1/4 inch cube. A serving of cottage cheese is generally one-half cup or 4 ounces.

--Calcium content. Most hard cheeses are good sources of calcium: about 205 milligrams in an ounce of Cheddar or Muenster, 275 milligrams in Swiss and 185 milligrams in mozzarella.

-- Light on the label. Generally, cheeses labeled light are lower in sodium, fat, calories and cholesterol than traditional versions. Read the label carefully to determine these contents.

--Fat content. If a cheese has 9 grams of fat per ounce, it is considered a full-fat cheese, 6 grams to 8 grams per ounce puts it in the moderate category and cheese containing less than 5 grams of fat per ounce is low-fat.

Full-fat cheeses are Cheddar, American and Muenster, while Swiss, feta and mozzarella are moderate-fat cheeses. A skim-milk mozzarella would be considered low-fat.

--Sodium content. Cheese is not often high in sodium. The processed cheeses are among the highest in sodium, at 400 milligrams per ounce. Cottage cheese also is high in sodium with 450 milligrams per half cup. Among hard cheeses, the lowest in sodium are Swiss and mozzarella.