Benefits of feta cheese; from gut health to bone health

There are many types of cheese in this world. Each cheese has different characteristics, including taste, texture, color, and so on. One type of cheese that you probably already know is feta cheese. Maybe you often find this type of cheese in supermarkets. Feta cheese has a different color and texture from the usual cheese. What is feta cheese and what are the benefits of feta cheese?

What is feta cheese?

Feta cheese is cheese that comes from Greece. Different from the usual cheese, this cheese is made from sheep or goat's milk, not from cow's milk. These sheep and goats are specially bred in local pasture areas. Thus, the sheep and goats produce milk with unique characteristics to be made into cheese. Feta cheese has a characteristic white color, has a slightly chewy texture and can crumble when cut, and has a good taste creamy when in the mouth.

Benefits of feta cheese for health

Because it is made from milk, cheese certainly has many important nutrients for the body. Some of the nutrients contained in feta cheese are calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc. Not only that, this cheese also contains less fat and calories than other cheeses, such as cheddar or parmesan cheese.

Because it contains many important nutrients, it's no wonder feta cheese offers many benefits for your health. Some of the benefits of feta cheese are:

1. Supports bone health

Feta cheese contains calcium, phosphorus and protein so it can support your bone health. Calcium and protein can help maintain bone density, while phosphorus is an important bone mineral.

Feta cheese contains even more calcium than other cheeses, such as mozzarella, ricotta, and cottage cheese. This is because sheep and goat milk (the origin of feta cheese) contain more calcium than cow's milk. So, consumption of feta cheese can help you meet your daily calcium needs.

2. Helps maintain intestinal health

Feta cheese is made by adding lactic acid bacteria to sheep or goat milk so that this cheese contains probiotics that are good for your gut health. Probiotics are good bacteria that live in the intestines.

Feta cheese contains a type of probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum. These good bacteria can protect the digestive tract from bad bacteria that cause disease, such as E. coli and Salmonella. Not only that, good bacteria in the gut are also proven to help boost immunity.

3. Helps improve body composition

Cheese made from sheep's milk contains conjugated or linoleic acid conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is higher than cheese made from cow or goat milk. This CLA turns out to have many benefits for the body. CLA can help improve body composition, by decreasing fat mass and increasing lean body mass. Not only that, CLA can also help reduce the risk of diabetes.

But be careful, feta cheese is high in sodium

In the process of making feta cheese, goat or sheep milk curd is added with salt. During storage, feta cheese is also soaked in brine. So do not be surprised if feta cheese contains high sodium which comes from salt. 1 ounce (28 grams) of feta cheese contains 312 mg of sodium.

For those of you who have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes, you may have to limit or even avoid consumption of feta cheese. People with the disease are advised to limit sodium intake to no more than 1500 mg per day.