Taking good health to heart ...

I had another article in mind to upload today, but it will wait. Instead I wanted to share something I read today as I wandered through the wonderful articles and descriptions and photographs in the current issue of "Culture." This is a delightful periodical ... "the word on cheese."

I'm repeatedly hearing about the sustainability purposing of the dairy folk I'm meeting. It's more than just the cheese; it's the whole package mentality. Taking care of the land, in turn, takes care of the milk stock, making better cheese ... ah ha! BUT, as I read an article by nutrition expert and author Dr. Marion Nestle, I learned yet another good effect of land taken care of takes care of me!

I've also had acquaintances comment that they don't eat cheese because of the "bad fat." I wondered about that. I keep eating cheese, but I wondered. The following is what Dr. Nestle had to say about both good fat/bad fat and the land ...

CULTURE:

"There's a lot of talk these days about "good" fat versus "bad" fat. Where does cheese fit into that discussion?

Dr. Nestle:

In a word: moderation! Saturated fat--the kind found in dairy products--is so-called bad fat, the kind that raises blood cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease. Cheese is right up there as a leading source of saturated fat in the diet, along with other dairy products and beef. How worried should you be about this? It depends on what the rest of your diet looks like, how active you are, your weight, your genetic inheritance, and whether or not you smoke cigarettes. If you maintain a healthy lifestyle and if heart disease doesn't run in your family, the amount of cheese you eat eat isn't nearly as critical as it might be for someone in the opposite health situation.

Cheese lovers can also take heart (pun intended) in the hopeful results of newly emerging research about CLA--conjugated linoleic acid--a natural trans fat found in cheese and other dairy products made from the milk of cows that have fed on grass. CLAs appear to behave more like good fats, helping to improve cholesterol and triglyceride profiles in the body and maybe doing all sorts of other positive things such as preventing cancer, enhancing immunity, and strengthening bones. When one nutritional component is said to do so much, however, I'm usually skeptical. But the research on CLA is promising--stay tuned for more of it."

Dr. Nestle goes on to endorse moderation in cheese consumption for most people. Treat yourself to a moderate helping of a really excellent cheese, instead of a less than satisfying reduced fat cheese. Even a small portion of cheese grated on steamed veggies or in a hearty soup, or shavings included in a crisp spring greens salad, etc., are soooooo taste incredible! It isn't necessary to eat a whole wedge of cheese.

But, let's back up a bit. "... cheese and other dairy products made from the milk of cows that have fed on grass." Why, that sounds to me like exactly what the smaller local dairy folk I'm meeting are advocating and putting into practice. They pasture feed their milking stock, and while their fields aren't producing during the dead of winter, they have special feed to replicate those same nutrients their stock gain from being grass fed--no silage. You want cheese from grass fed milk!

I like the sound of CLAs behaving like good fat and providing all those marvelous advantages, don't you?

I encourage you to pick up a copy of "Culture" and finish reading the rest of Dr. Marion Nestle's article for other info about milk from different animals, and about vegetarianism.

I also encourage you to learn a little about the makers of the cheese you eat. A little self-education could add up to better health ... and a healthy appreciation for the artisan cheesemaker!