How much cheese contains the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk?
- 1 oz grated or shredded Parmesan, Romano cheese
- 1.5 oz of hard cheese (Brick, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gouda, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muenster, Provolone, Roquefort, Swiss, Tilsit, American);
Clearly, parmesan and romano are much richer sources of calcium compared to other cheeses. Moreover, since they are so full-flavored, you usually end up feeling satisfied with a smaller quantity of parmesan or romano, compared to cheddar, for example. Indeed, a typical 1oz serving of cheddar has 110 calories), and while 1 oz of parmesan also contains 110 calories that 1oz in fact amounts to 5 tbspns of grated parmesan! Even the most passionate cheese-eater would find 5 tbspns of parmesan a bit too much to eat in one go!
A good way to cut down on cheese calories, while still maintaining the calcium benefits, then, is to substitute parmesan or romano for your cheddar or mozarella. Try switching to cheeseless pizza, for example, and simply sprinkling 1 tbspn of parmesan on top of your slice. And if you're making cheesy garlic bread, use a tbspn of parmesan instead of an ounce of mozzarella.
