What Cheeses Have Been Found to Fight Cavities?

When you are talking about cheese you are talking about a fairly easy to digest food for most people unless the person is lactose intolerant. It is a food rich in protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. With all of these nutrients in cheese it does perform some beneficial things for the body and it is a creamy dairy product too. It has been suggested that some cheeses can actually help reduce tooth decay. For example, actually chewing the product may increase the calcium in the tooth plaque. The increased calcium in tooth plaque is what protects against cavities. So this calcium actually helps keep teeth healthy.

There are other thoughts in this regard too. As you eat cheese or chew it the saliva in the mouth increases. The increased saliva helps cleanse the mouth of excess foods that may catch or stay on the teeth which until brushed out can cause tooth decay. The cheeses that generally fall in the tooth decay prevention category are those that have a slightly harder texture and generally fall into the semi hard or semi firm cheese type. This includes cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss and American.

In general any acidic food will increase saliva in the mouth such as celery, carrots and apples. Also eating the product after you eat sweets helps combat the sugars in the mouth as the increased saliva washes them down the throat. It also has a very high content of Vitamin C which will help against gun disease and it may kill any bacterium that makes the breath smell bad. It is believed that lactic acid may decrease gun disease so this means by chewing or eating a piece of cheddar you are also eating a form of lactic acid.

Within a piece of cheddar or Swiss you will find there is a very high Vitamin A content. It is also rich in calcium which helps keep the teeth healthy thus leading to reduced tooth cavities. It also contains fat, salt, protein, phosphorus and lots of potassium. So if you missed your daily banana you can substitute a piece of cheddar for you daily potassium. It will also contain a small amount of iron, zinc and a few others. Along with the high amount of Vitamin A it has small amounts of E, K B6, B12, riboflavin, Betaine and Folate. It is really amazing what that piece of cheddar has in it.

Cheese Recipe 16: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

This recipe makes one sandwich.


Ingredients:

2 slices of bread of your choice


3 thick slices of ham or six or more thin slices


1 tablespoon of butter


Several thin slices of Swiss cheese

Method:

Take a medium skillet and place on medium to medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick spray or place a little oil in it. Place the ham in the frying pan for a few minutes, it just needs to be warmed, not blackened. If placed in the cold pan then by the time it starts to sizzle, it should be warm enough. While the ham is warming butter one side of each slice of bread. Place the cheese and ham on the bread and assemble it. Place the sandwich into the pan. When the bottom is toasted enough flip over. It should take approximately three minutes for each side.

Alternative Cheeses:

Colby Jack, Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curds, Sharp Cheddar, Muenster, Provolone.

What Are Some Great Quotes About Cheese?

When you are talking about cheese it seems that through the ages there have been many people who use the name or refer to it when they write or talk about it. One of the most common phrases in the US probably is that ‘the moon is made of green cheese’ and this is often told to children when they are looking at a full moon with all of the dark and light patches on it. Of course when we get older we learn that the moon is not made of green cheese and of course it’s not green either.

There are quotes that refer to various countries and the amount of different types of this product that they produce or of course those that relate to mice and mouse traps. An unattributed one is ‘worry is today’s mice nibbling on tomorrow’s cheese’ which of course refers to worrying in advance of something actually happening. Another unattributed one that refers to mice again would be ‘a mousetrap always provides free cheese’ although why someone would steal food that is waiting to be used to kill mice is unknown unless it implies one would not go hungry if they lived in a place that needed lots of mousetraps.

Helen Hayes is quoted as saying “Age is not important unless you’re cheese” which is a great quote because as certain types of the product ages it just gets better and if you are a woman, age is not at all important because you are already as good as it gets.

One of the better quotes is attributed to Robert Louis Stevenson and it refers to food made with the product and this is one of the better applications or uses of this product. He is quoted as saying “Many’s the long night I’ve dreamed of cheese – toasted, mostly.” Of course toasted with all that melted gooey stuff holding the bread together with long glops of strings and strands of it melting together in your mouth, what can be better than that? This is even better if you make a croquet monsieur that has ham added to the wonderful melted insides of the bread.

There are many instances of this type of food related quotes as there are with many different types of foods. Foods make easy things to use in famous sayings or quotes.

Is Cheese Really Mold?

Some cheeses have a mold injected into them to create their flavor and taste such as a blue, Roquefort or a camembert to name a few. This type may also be aged in caves that have those mold spores actually in the caves such as some of them in France and the cheeses are allowed to get that mold and it grows throughout the product resulting in either blue or green veins of mold actually in it. In fact most molds are harmless, especially these molds.

If there is no cave with the mold in the air or walls then the producers inject mold into the product to encourage the mold growth. And they may inject mold into the product even if the cave has the mold spores in it so that when injected the mold encourages more consistent mold growth. You would not want to cut open a piece of roquefort and find it is entirely made of a blue or green mold and nothing else. Mold is supposed to enhance the taste and texture not overwhelm it.

As to other cheeses some of them may have mold growing on the rind. This is intended and this type of cheese would be those called blooming rind cheeses like brie where the interior is creamy and runny and the outside of the product has mold on it. You can also safely eat this rind even with the mold. Be aware the rind will be sharper or more pungent flavored than the inside and many people don’t care for it.

The other cheeses such as American or Swiss are created when the milk protein curdles due to an agent called rennet which is made up of enzymes. These enzymes may be natural such as animal rennet or may be laboratory created. They can also be from a fermentation of a fungus. So in theory one could say that cheese is created with mold but cheese is not really mold itself.

A cheese is a living breathing product which will mold if not properly stored. It will also grow mold if it is stored too long. If it is a harder variety such as one of the grating kind such as asiago or parmesan it will be less prone to mold quickly. The softer type such as brie or Provolone will mold faster especially if it has any pockets where moisture can house bacteria which creates mold.

Cheese Dip Recipe 8: Bacon and Cheese Dip

This recipe will make about 16 servings.


Ingredients:

2 green onions washed and finely chopped


1 cup mayonnaise


4 buttery round crackers crushed into coarse crumbs


4 slices of bacon cooked and drained


1 eight pack of cream cheese


8 ounces of Swiss cheese well shredded or grated.
Method:

Cook the bacon up crispy in a medium skillet pan. Drain onto paper towels and crumble finely. In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, with mayonnaise until very smooth. Next, stir in the swiss cheese, onions and bacon. Place bowl in microwave on high for about two minutes or until creamy. Remove and stir well. Place back in microwave on high for about another two to four minutes. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top before serving. Serve warm with crackers, chips, bread or veggies for dipping.

Alternative Cheeses:

Swiss, Smokey Swiss, Gouda, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Garlic Cheddar Curds, Muenster, or a combination