Macaroni and cheese, a margherita pizza, or a cheese quesadilla — these dinner options may sound tasty. After all, cheese can be both tempting and satisfying. But if you have cardiovascular disease, also called heart disease, you’re probably following a heart-healthy diet. You might think these cheesy treats are automatically off your menu.

“Does anyone here eat cheese?” one MyHeartDiseaseTeam member asked. “I used to love it, but don’t eat it anymore. Bad for the cholesterol, or so they say.”

You may be surprised to learn that cheese isn’t all bad news for your heart. Like many other foods, the impact cheese has on your cardiovascular health can be complicated. So, before you pass on the provolone or swear off Swiss, keep reading.

Conventional Thoughts on Cheese

One of the biggest drivers behind heart disease is a diet that’s high in saturated fat. These fats are solid at room temperature. They’re found most commonly in animal-based foods and are among the foods to limit or avoid if you have heart disease. Saturated fats include dairy products like cheese.

Eating cheese too often can increase your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. You may hear your doctor call LDL your “bad cholesterol” when they talk with you about your cholesterol levels. Your body needs some LDL to carry cholesterol, but too much can build up and clog your arteries.

The American Heart Association recommends getting only 6 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat. That means for a daily 2,000-calorie diet, no more than 120 calories (or 13 grams) should come from saturated fat. If you have heart disease, doctors recommend capping your daily saturated fat intake at 10 grams. So, if you choose to eat cheese, consider low-fat options like ricotta or cottage cheese instead of full-fat varieties like cheddar or brie.

Some cheeses, such as feta, contain a lot of sodium (salt). Salt adds to the flavor of cheese. But it also plays a role in high blood pressure, potentially making your heart disease worse and increasing your risk of stroke. Goat cheese, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella are good low-salt options.

Some MyHeartDiseaseTeam members have found ways to keep cheese in their diets. “I still eat cheese — just not every day. I love it with so many things,” one member said. “I try to eat the block cheese. I think it’s OK to eat it in moderation.”

What New Cheese Research Says

There’s good news if you’ve scraped cheese from your plate and would love even a dusting of Parmesan over your heart-healthy dinner. New studies show that eating cheese isn’t necessarily problematic in terms of heart health. In fact, enjoying some blue cheese or mozzarella may help protect your heart.

One study that examined 54 research articles found that eating cheese lowered the overall risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. In addition, indulging in cheese didn’t increase the risk of high blood pressure either. The study results showed that eating 30 grams of cheese a day reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 3 percent.

The key is choosing the right kind of cheese and controlling your portion size. It’s best to choose unprocessed, or natural, cheese over processed cheese. Unprocessed cheeses, such as Brie, feta, goat cheese, and Parmesan, contain less salt and more calcium and protein. In contrast, processed cheeses like American cheese, canned cheese spreads, or nacho cheese sauce contain lots of salt, preservatives, and saturated fats that aren’t heart-healthy choices.

Before you grab a slice of pizza or bite into a grilled cheese sandwich, talk with your doctor about your specific heart health needs. They can help you safely include cheese in your regular diet.

A Good Source of Calcium

Although the saturated fat content in cheese can contribute to heart disease, these dairy products are also a great source of calcium. And calcium does more than help you build strong bones. Calcium can help:

• Lower your blood pressure — Calcium helps your blood vessels relax and tighten up when you need them to.
• Lower your cholesterol — Calcium attaches to fatty acids in your intestines. This connection prevents your body from absorbing the fatty acids that help form triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat that can build up in your bloodstream and increase your heart disease risk.
• Reduce your risk of stroke — When calcium is part of a diet that contains magnesium and potassium, it can decrease the likelihood of stroke, particularly in men, as found in the journal Scientific Reports.

To maximize the calcium you get from cheese, choose a hard cheese like Parmesan or Swiss.

A Protein-Rich Food

In addition to calcium, cheese contains many types of proteins. You can feel the impact of protein within minutes of munching on a cheese stick or grabbing a quick snack of cheese and crackers. Because protein breaks down slowly in your body, you’ll feel full quicker and for a longer period of time.

The protein in cheese can also help balance out the saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can raise your LDL cholesterol, which can lead to plaque building up in your arteries and cause more inflammation around your heart. As a result, your heart muscle and the tissues around your heart swell, which may make heart disease worse. The protein in cheese reduces inflammation by limiting any fluid buildup in your tissues. One study with about 2,000 participants found that people who eat more protein experienced less inflammation.

One MyHeartDiseaseTeam member shared that they like to start their day with lean, high-protein foods. “For breakfast, stay away from processed meats like sausage or bacon,” they said. “Instead, go for something with protein from whole foods like an egg white omelet with veggies and low-salt cheese like Swiss.”

Always check with your cardiologist or dietitian about the best foods for your heart. They can help you figure out what to eat based on your health, any other conditions you have, and your treatment goals. Getting advice tailored to you can make it easier to build healthy habits that fit your lifestyle.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyHeartDiseaseTeam is the social network for people with heart disease and their loved ones. On MyHeartDiseaseTeam, more than 62,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with heart disease.

Do you love cheese but worry about including it in your diet? Are you looking for healthy ways to add cheese to meals? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.

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