Blue cheese as the name suggests is Cheese that has blue spots or veins on it. The cheese to which cultures of the Penicillium mold is added is said to have this blue spot or veins. Though it is called blue cheese, it also includes blue-grey mold. In either case, the cheese has a distinct and characteristic smell that is quite different from any other specially cultivated bacteria. Is blue cheese healthy? Considering that it contains mold.
How is a blue cheese made and how does it taste?
Blue cheese can be made in two ways.
The first process involves the introduction of spores of the Concilium mold before the curd forms. The other process involves mixing in the spores after the curd is formed. It has to be aged in a temperature-controlled set-up to get blue cheese. The blue cheese also has a fair dose of different types of bacteria along with the mold. Hence it has a sharp and salty taste that you cannot find in any other type of cheese. It is distinct, and it clearly characterizes the cheese.
Nutritional value of blue cheese
About 100gm of blue cheese contains
- About 43% of protein.
- It contains 93% of saturated fat
- It is also rich in vitamins. The vitamin breakdown in cheese includes 15% Vitamin A, 20% Vitamin B12, and retinol.
- It also has considerable amounts of sodium which is about 58%
- Phosphorous content is about 39%
- Selenium content is 21%
- Potassium 7%
- Total carbohydrate is 1%
- 75% of zinc
The nutritional value of blue cheese clearly shows that it is worthy of being added to your diet.
Is blue cheese healthy?
The nutrition facts of blue cheese show that it is indeed a healthy item to add to your diet. Furthermore, it is an excellent substitute for milk due to its rich protein content. The blue cheese is supposed to provide people who are allergic to milk with quality proteins that are helpful in repairing and building up of the body parts. it is supposed to offer the following health benefits
- Adding it to your diet will improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis
- It am found to be effective not only in lowering the risk of arthritis, but it is also very helpful in combatting it.
- By adding blue cheese to your diet, you can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Even children stand to gain blue cheese health benefits in the form of improved memory
- The phosphorus which is an important mineral is present in the blue cheese will help you maintain bone and teeth health. It is effective to ward off plaque and tooth decay.
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- Consuming it will help boost your immune system. This means that you would fall sick less often.
- The anti-inflammatory properties of this are also one of the important blue cheese health benefits that help cope with pain and inflammation in different parts of the body, as well.
- This prevents cellulitis by preventing fat from accumulating in the cells.
- Though blue cheese is considered as an indulgence in the light of its calories and fat content, you can set aside your guilt and have a fair dose of cheese in lieu of its probiotic properties that can act as a gut cleanser.
Despite all these benefits the side effects of consuming cheese such as high blood pressure and cholesterol as well as the weight gain associated with the consumption of cheese, make one wonder “ is blue Cheese healthy.” You have nothing to worry about, as blue cheese is indeed healthy and has been proved by a study in France that blue cheese reacts well in the acidic environment of the body and is also known to improve the longevity of a person.
Is blue cheese safe for consumption by people who are allergic to penicillin?
Though the main strain of mold used to make blue cheese which is penicillium Rocquefort is the same as the one that produces penicillin, the enzymes in the cheese are capable of making the penicillin in blue cheese neutral by breaking it down. This makes it safe for consumption even for people with penicillin allergy.
Use it as a spread, topping or a salad dressing or even melt it into your food for it is indeed healthy food to be added to your diet.