Fat-Free Cheese: Nutritional Pros and Cons
Fat-free cheese is a low-calorie, low-fat cheese option available in several varieties.
But what does fat-free cheese offer nutritionally?
This article examines the nutritional benefits and downsides of fat-free cheese and how it compares to regular cheese.
Table of contents
What Are the Main Benefits of Fat-Free Cheese?
First, let’s look at some of the beneficial aspects of fat-free cheese.
1) Low In Fat and Calories
Depending on the specific variety, regular cheese typically contains approximately 20-35 grams of fat per 100 grams (1, 2, 3).
However, as its name suggests, fat-free cheese has zero fat content
Since fat provides nine calories per gram, this also means that fat-free cheese options have a much lower calorie content.
For example, an ounce (28-gram) serving of fat-free Cheddar cheese contains only 44 calories, while fat-free Swiss cheese provides only 36 calories (4, 5).
For individuals specifically trying to lower their fat or calorie intake, fat-free cheese could be beneficial.
It may also be a useful alternative for people attempting to reduce their saturated fat intake.
2) Extremely High in Protein
Fat and protein are the two major macronutrients in regular cheese. With less fat content, there is more room for other nutrients found in cheese.
In other words, fat-free cheese has a much higher concentration of protein.
As an example of this, fat-free Parmesan is 40% protein by weight; it provides 40 grams of protein per 100 grams of cheese (6).
For this reason, many fat-free and reduced-fat cheese varieties rank highly among the highest-protein cheese options.
For those looking to obtain more protein from their diet, fat-free (and therefore high-protein) cheese is a good option.
3) May Potentially Help With Weight Management
Weight management is a complex issue influenced by many dietary and lifestyle habits (7).
However, if all else remains the same, swapping regular cheese for a fat-free cheese option would reduce calorie intake and help with weight loss.
This would be particularly true for individuals routinely eating large quantities of cheese in their diet.
For instance, according to data published by Statista, the average cheese consumer in the United States ate 41.8 pounds (18,997 grams) of cheese in 2022 (8).
An annual consumption of 18,997 grams of full-fat Cheddar cheese would provide 77,697 calories (or approximately 213 calories per day) (1).
However, an annual intake of 18,997 grams of fat-free Cheddar would supply only 29,825 calories (or approximately 81 calories per day) (4).
In short, fat-free cheese can enable people to significantly reduce their calorie intake.
That said, this doesn’t mean regular cheese is a “bad” choice. It is perfectly possible to include regular cheese as part of a healthy diet.
4) Contains Minimal Dietary Cholesterol
Consuming dietary cholesterol, the cholesterol found in animal foods, typically has only a modest impact on blood cholesterol levels (9).
However, research has found that some individuals are “hyper-responders” to dietary cholesterol.
In other words, dietary cholesterol can cause blood cholesterol (like LDL cholesterol) to rise more than it does for the average person (10).
For those looking to limit their intake of dietary cholesterol, fat-free cheese has virtually zero cholesterol content.
An ounce (28-gram) serving of regular Cheddar has 28.4 mg of cholesterol, whereas fat-free Cheddar contains only 5.0 mg (1, 4).
Downsides of Fat-Free Cheese
Now it’s time to examine some of the negative aspects of fat-free cheese.
Some of these are nutritional downsides, and others relate to its texture and sensory properties.
1) Taste
People tend to choose foods that they enjoy.
On this note, it’s fair to say that fat-free cheese doesn’t taste as good as regular cheese. Taste tests show that even ‘reduced-fat’ cheese isn’t regarded as being as tasty (11).
Fat-free cheese is not as creamy as regular cheese and tends to have a chewier texture.
2) Poor Melting Properties
Another downside of fat-free cheese is that it doesn’t have the same melting properties as regular cheese.
Due to its higher protein density and lack of fat, fat-free cheese does not melt in a uniform way, which would typically give that “oozy” melted cheese texture.
In contrast, fat-free cheese tends to melt into a solid, rubbery block rather than dissipating throughout the food.
3) Typically Lower Content of Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Earlier in this article, we discussed how fat-free cheese has a greater protein content due to its comparative lack of fat.
However, this is not the case with all essential nutrients.
There is typically a significantly lower concentration of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in fat-free cheese.
However, this can depend somewhat on the type of milk used to make the cheese, as some skim milk products have fat-soluble vitamins added back in.
According to USDA data, the table below shows how the fat-soluble vitamin content of regular and fat-free cheese compares for varieties of Cheddar and Swiss cheese per 100 grams (1, 4, 5, 12):Fat-Soluble Vitamin Fat-Free Cheddar Regular Cheddar Fat-Free Swiss Regular Swiss Vitamin A, RAE 60 mcg 316 mcg 40 mcg 292 mcg Vitamin D 0.13 mcg 0.6 mcg 0.1 mcg 0 mcg Vitamin E 0.06 mg 0.75 mg 0.07 mg 0.6 mg Vitamin K 0.6 mcg 2.4 mcg 0.5 mcg 7.7 mcg
As the table indicates, regular-fat cheese provides higher concentrations of fat-soluble vitamins than fat-free cheese.
The most notable difference is the vitamin A content.
The recommended daily value for vitamin A is 900 mcg per day (13); regular cheese contains nearly one-third of this guideline amount per 100 grams, whereas fat-free cheese provides a much lower quantity, equivalent to approximately 5-10%.
Typical Nutritional Profile of Fat-Free Cheese
Here are the comprehensive nutritional values for an ounce (28-gram) serving of fat-free Cheddar cheese.
Nutritional data has been sourced from the USDA’s FoodData Central database (4).Nutrient Amount % Daily Value Calories 44 kcal Carbohydrates 2.0 g 0.7% Fiber 0 g 0% Sugars 0 g Fat 0 g 0% Saturated 0 g 0% Monounsaturated 0 g Polyunsaturated 0 g Omega-3 0 g Omega-6 0 g Cholesterol 5.04 mg 1.7% Protein 8.99 mg 18.0%
Vitamins
| Vitamin | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Choline | 4.31 mg | 0.8% |
| Folate, DFE | 3.08 mcg | 0.8% |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 16.8 mcg | 1.9% |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.003 mg | 0.3% |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.062 mg | 4.8% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 0.014 mg | 0.1% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.013 mg | 0.8% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.137 mcg | 5.7% |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% |
| Vitamin D | 0.03 mcg | 0.2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.017 mg | 0.1% |
| Vitamin K | 0.168 mcg | 0.1% |
Fat-free cheese is not a significant source of vitamins, but it contains a moderate amount of riboflavin and vitamin B12.
Minerals
| Mineral | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 250 mg | 19.2% |
| Copper | 0.006 mg | 0.7% |
| Iron | 0 mg | 0% |
| Magnesium | 4.48 mg | 1.1% |
| Phosphorus | 136 mg | 10.9% |
| Potassium | 18.5 mg | 0.4% |
| Selenium | 4.06 mcg | 7.4% |
| Sodium | 280 mg | 12.2% |
| Zinc | 0.51 mg | 4.6% |
Fat-free cheddar is a good source of calcium and phosphorus, containing small to moderate levels of other minerals.
Other Common Fat-Free Cheese Varieties
Other common varieties of cheese that have fat-free versions include:
- Mozzarella (see nutritional data)
- Parmesan (see nutritional data)
- Swiss cheese (see nutritional data)
Is Fat-Free Cheese a Healthy Choice?
Fat-free cheese is a good choice nutritionally for those who want to focus on the protein content of cheese while consuming fewer calories.
Compared to full-fat cheese, it has a higher protein concentration and significantly lower levels of fat.
However, fat-free cheese won’t be right for everyone, and it doesn’t taste as good as regular cheese.
It is also likely to have a substantially lower content of vitamin A, which regular cheese provides in relatively high amounts.
