Can You Get Sick From Eating Too Much Cheese?

Can you really get sick from eating too much cheese? Well, the truth is that too much of anything, including even water, can make you sick. But there are some components of cheese that may make it more likely that you will feel a little queasy after indulging a little too much. This can be especially bad if you have a condition known as lactose intolerance, which can reduce your bodies’ natural ability to digest the compounds in cheese. Here are a few reasons why you may feel sick after eating too much cheese.

Why Did You Eat So Much Cheese?

Before we can know why cheese makes you sick, we should look at why it is so easy to eat too much cheese in the first place. Like chocolate, cheese contains a compound known as castromorpines, which react in the body in much the same way some pain killers do. Eating cheese triggers the brain's “reward” response, releasing chemicals linked with happiness. They are the same chemicals that help prevent depression when you eat large amounts of chocolate. This causes you to want to eat more... and more, until you begin to feel sick from so much delicious cheese.

Lactose

The primary ingredient that would cause you to feel sick in cheese, is lactose, or milk sugar. There is a good deal of this milk sugar present in most cheeses, and sugars are one of the most complex and difficult substances for your body to break down. On average, it takes about three days to break down the lactose from a single piece of cheese! This is not just the case in those who have the condition known as lactose intolerance, but in most humans. As difficult as it is, avoid ingesting large quantities of milk, cheese, and butter in a day, and you can enjoy more of the cheese you love.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance affects over thirty-million Americans, and is the single most common food intolerance in the world. This means your body has a particularly hard time breaking down lactic sugars. Lactaids can help break these sugars down before they hit your system, and are advised for people who experience cramping, stomach aches, diarrhea, or even vomiting after eating too much cheese. In general, you may need to avoid some complex dairy products, like cheese, altogether, as severe symptoms can cause ulcers and other long term stomach issues.

5 Key Tips For Throwing An Excellent Cheese Tasting Party

There are a huge selection of amazing cheeses out there to try. Why not try with them with friends at a wonderful cheese tasting party? This is a great way to have a refined and fun get together, while experiencing many flavors that you may otherwise have never experienced. But what makes a good cheese tasting party? Here are five key tips to get you started.

Pairings:

Cheese tasting does not have to be just about cheese. One of the fantastic things about cheeses, is that they go well with so many different beverages and dishes. Consider some pairings to the cheeses you wish to try. Wines and beers are a great choice, but crackers and other appetizers are also worth considering also, as they are common cheese pairings. Even other beverages, like juices, can play a key role here.

What Cheeses:

Know the cheeses that you are going to choose to taste, and what their general flavors are. Not everyone will like each kind of cheese, so throwing out a warning before a new sample as to what it is likely to taste like can be very beneficial. Even if you have not tried it, knowing that it is a nuttier or dryer flavored cheese can go a long way.

Arrangements:

Take time to consider table and food arrangement. Simple things like this can make a cheese tasting party seem much more classy. Use platters and other decorative serving items when possible, this can be a good opportunity to crack out the dinnerware that you have been dying to show off. Again, the little things make a cheese party classy and fun.

Company:

Some people are not suited to a cheese tasting party. These may be friends that like to cause a ruckus, which may be fun in another setting, but makes enjoying a gathering like this fairly difficult. These types of guests make it more difficult for those who are really interested in the flavors of the cheeses to really enjoy themselves.

Theme:

Choosing a theme to base the cheeses you are tasting off from can make it much easier to narrow down the huge selection of fine cheese available. Sharp cheeses, dry cheeses, and fine cheeses make good themes, or you can choose regional cheeses if that seems like more fun. By picking a direction and theme, you can also help decide what future cheese tasting parties can be.