Cheese is packed with protein and delicious whether eaten on its own, added to a sandwich or part of a satisfying meal like pizza or lasagna.
Sliced, shredded, melted, crumbled or baked, we eat almost 42 pounds of it per person per year, according to government figures and the International Dairy Foods Association.
The report highlights cottage cheese in particular as rising in popularity, with the average American now eating more than two pounds of it per year.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, recommend eating full-fat dairy such as cheese. Higher intake of high-fat cheese such as cheddar, brie and gouda was even associated with a lower risk of dementia, a 2025 study found.
Cheese has a rich culinary history, with humans making it for more than 4,000 years, the International Dairy Foods Association notes.
There are now 2,000 varieties, so which is the healthiest cheese?
Is Cheese Unhealthy or Healthy?
It’s complicated, TODAY.com has reported.
Early studies supported a link between high saturated fat intake from dairy and a higher risk of heart disease. But full-fat dairy may not be as unhealthy as once thought, according to more recent research.
"An increasing body of scientific evidence has been showing that there may not be a strong correlation between cheese consumption and disease," researchers wrote in 2025 in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
"In fact, cheese nutrients may possibly work in concert to lower markers of cardiovascular risk, compared to other dairy products when matched for fat content."
A 2023 review of studies called cheese “nutrient-dense” and found it has “neutral to moderate benefits for human health.”
“Cheese is totally healthy,” said Vanessa Rissetto, a New York-based registered dietitian, on TODAY.
“It can be part of your overall healthy eating plan.”
“There is absolutely a place for cheese in the diet,” adds registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, nutrition editor for TODAY.com. “The main deterrent for eating cheese is that it has saturated fat, but it also has other beneficial nutrients, like protein and calcium.”
For example, a 1-ounce slice of cheddar cheese has 5 grams of saturated fat, which is a little more than a third of the amount you should have in a day, she notes. And cheese is salty, so it’s not great for people with high blood pressure, she adds.
But that same slice has almost 7 grams of protein, a nutrient that helps with satiety and muscle growth; and it provides 14% of the daily value of calcium, which keeps bones healthy and strong, Rizzo explains.
Plus, cheese comes from milk, which has other nutrients, like vitamin A and B vitamins, she adds.
Higher cheese intake is linked to a reduced likelihood of developing sleep apnea, a disorder where breathing stops and restarts during sleep, a 2024 study found. Cheese is a rich source of essential nutrients, which “could influence metabolic and cardiovascular health, factors that are known to be related to the risk of sleep apnea,” the authors noted.
Eating cheese may be a factor in mental well-being and healthy aging, another study found.
Overall, there’s no need to avoid cheese — unless a person has an allergy or another reason to skip it — but it’s best to treat cheese as an add-on to a meal, rather than a main course, Allison Arnett, a lecturer of nutrition sciences at the University of New Haven, tells TODAY.com.
“There are other sources of protein and calcium that are not high in saturated fat or sodium,” Arnett says.
“The bottom line is: For those who need to decrease sodium, especially people with high blood pressure, avoiding large portions and eating (it) less frequently is the most beneficial way to enjoy cheese.”
Which Cheese Is Healthiest?
Cottage cheese is probably the healthiest cheese, Rizzo says. “It’s lower in saturated fat and higher in protein than most other cheese,” she explains. Rizzo recommends reaching for the low-fat variety, noting it still tastes good.
It's fine to eat cottage cheese every day for most people, she notes.
Cottage cheese is high in protein, Rissetto said, calling it “really great.” She likes to spread it on a fiber cracker and add olives so each bite has some protein, fat and a bit of crunch. This savory snack is less boring than just eating cottage cheese with fruit, Rissetto noted.
A half-cup serving of low-fat (2%) cottage cheese has:
- 90 calories
- 12 grams protein
- 2.5 grams fat
- 5 grams carbohydrates
- 125 milligrams of calcium (10% of the daily value)
Cottage cheese is a less salty option than other varieties, and you can buy even lower sodium versions of it, Arnett says.
Top Healthiest Cheeses
Runners-up in the healthiest cheese category are generally soft cheeses like ricotta or mozzarella, which are made from low-fat or skim milk, so they tend to be lower in saturated fat and healthier overall, Rizzo says.
Rissetto recommended ricotta because it’s lower in sodium compared to other cheeses. She likes to spread it on a waffle, drizzle it with a bit of honey and eat this combination for breakfast.
Another good option is feta cheese because is naturally low fat, and it’s delicious and flavorful, Rissetto added.
Hard cheeses like Parmesan, cheddar and Swiss are naturally lower in lactose so people with lactose sensitivities might benefit from choosing those products, Arnett says.
But generally, any and all cheese is fine in moderation and the nutrition content varies only slightly among the varieties, Rizzo notes. Even soft cheeses like brie, which might seem more decadent, aren’t any less healthy than other cheese, she notes.
“Brie is always like this villain, but that’s because we bake it, wrap it in a phyllo dough and add jam to it,” Rissetto said.
Healthiest Cheese for Weight Loss
Any cheese can be eaten for weight loss — it’s less about the variety and more about the amount you consume as well what other foods you’re eating, Patricia Bannan, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles and author of “From Burnout to Balance,” tells TODAY.com.
But if the dietitians had to choose, one option was their favorite: cottage cheese.
Cottage cheese
“My top pick for healthy cheese is low-fat 2% cottage cheese because it’s high in protein and lower in calories than other types of cheese,” Rizzo says.
“The serving size is half a cup, so it’s a significant amount, which is going to also keep you fuller versus a harder cheese or even mozzarella, which has a serving of 1 ounce,” Bannan notes.
Protein fills you up and helps with muscle building — two elements that are important for weight loss, Rizzo adds. One serving of other cheeses typically has 5 to 7 grams of protein.
Cottage cheese is also versatile. It can top a leafy green salad, be served with fruit, blended into recipes or swapped for higher fat cheese in lasagna or other baked dishes, Bannan says.
Swiss cheese
This is Rizzo’s other favorite healthy cheese for weight loss. It’s a bit higher in protein than other cheeses, with 8 grams per slice.
Mozzarella cheese stick
It has a similar nutrition profile to Swiss cheese, Rizzo notes, calling both “really good snacks for weight loss.”
Mozzarella has less sodium than cheddar, and the part-skim version provides protein and calcium with fewer calories and fat compared to full-fat cheese, Bannan notes.
How to Eat Cheese in a Healthy Way
Use cheese as a vehicle — add fiber to it and have it as your extra protein, Rissetto said.
Whatever you accompany the cheese with is important, so pair brie with slices of raw vegetables rather than chips or crackers, for example, to slow digestion.
“Now you have fiber, people are going to get more full, they’re not going to waste space on chips,” she noted.
“You want to get full on fiber first, and then protein and fat.”
Is Low-Fat or Fat-Free Cheese Healthy?
Most low-fat cheeses don’t taste very good because the fat is removed from the milk before processing, and this removes a lot of the flavor, Rizzo says. Personally, Rizzo says she’d rather skip cheese altogether than eat the low-fat variety.
Oftentimes, fillers are added to accommodate the lack of fat, Arnett points out. And when people try to substitute their favorite cheese for the low-fat option, they often end up eating more of it to make up for the lack of fat, “thus negating the swap to begin with,” she says.
Is It OK to Eat Cheese Daily?
“I eat cheese every day,” Rissetto said. “You can eat it every day.”
If you stick to a 1-ounce serving size of cheese, which amounts to about a quarter-cup of shredded cheese, it can have a place in your diet, Rizzo says.
“If somebody is in good health and wants to have a small portion of cheese every day, they can do so,” Arnett adds.
Note that some American cheese — the super melty, yellow sliced processed variety — is made from mostly water, so it has fewer nutrients than other cheeses, Rizzo points out.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
