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How much cheese is too much cheese?

C

Cluuur

Member
I've been low carbing for the last 6 weeks or so and have been tracking my carbs per day but not so much calories, etc. (Though I have set my meal tracker macros to 10% carbs, 70% fat and 20% protein - in line with figures for a keto diet I found online and generally I'm there or thereabouts with these - and always under, never over on the carbs).

I eat meat and some fish, but I've always been a "bit of meat with lots of carbs and veg" kinda person - so I'm finding (especially with it being Christmas time) that I'm reaching for the cheese more and more often as my none/very low carb option (a variety of cheese but current favourites being hallumi, gouda and a couple of flavoured ones all with 0 or <1g carbs per 100g). I suspect a bit more than I should be. So my question is, what is a sensible daily amount of cheese to be eating alongside the lean meat/fish/eggs/green veg/salads/nuts I'm having for the rest of my meals?
 
Evening @Cluuur. Cheese is ideal for diabetics. Most of the lactose (milk sugar) is removed in the whey during cheese making. The residual lactose in cheese curd is metabolised during the early stages of ripening, mainly through the action of microbes, leaving you with a food that is mostly fat with some protein; carbohydrate content is negligible.

I'm not so sure about flavoured cheeses though. It depends what the cheese is flavoured with!

Grazing a cheese-board is my idea of heaven, so I'm possibly not the best one to advise on quantities, but from a low carb point of view, you're unlikely to overdo it!
 
As with most things nutritional, I think a lot depends not on "rules" but on how your body reacts, Cluuur. Cheese can be somewhat, errrr, "clogging" to some people. If you start to experience constipation, you may need to back off some. But if you are thriving, then the only question might be whether you are replacing too many more nutritious foods with it. I am a big believer in vegetables, though.
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Thanks @Grandma Misti - I hadn't thought of it as a "clogger" so something to bear in mind! I'm with you on the veg - I get more than 90% of my carbs from vegetables and have found reducing them after 25 years of a "if you're hungry, fill up on veg" mentality, the most difficult thing about going low carb!
 
I love cheese but I do have to limit it along with other dairy as I find I gain weight with it , it’s definitely not the calories as I put everything into Myfitnesspal, it’s definitely the dairy - if it’s not causing you any problems that’s been mentioned so far then just carry on what your doing and enjoy your cheese
 
I find hard cheese (cheddar etc) affects my blood sugar levels less than soft cheese. I often find my blood sugar levels rise some 4 to 6 hours after eating a fair quantity of cheese, so normally take 1 or 2 units of rapid insulin 3 to 4 hours after eating (protein). Same if I eat a rather large portion of meat (steak etc.).
 
I'm afraid I think you can eat too much cheese . I suspiciously think I overdosed on it. Seeing that I've had several episodes of arterial fibrillation, the 'overdose' aka 'a cheese-fest' probably put me in hospital with a heartbeat of 130 that wouldn't drop.

 
Be guided by your hunger and your weight. Ie. Eat until satiated, then stop. Wait until hungry before eating.
Once your body is fat adapted , you can decrease amounts of cheese until weight is back on track.
If your getting enough protein, then fats are your lever to control weight
 
What's behind your question? - I'm not sure I could begin to define what a "sensible amount" of cheese is.

My answer would be "it depends". It depends on what other things you're eating, how much fat there is in that, whether you're actively trying to lose weight, any number of things. You might be tending to eat more cheese if you're not getting enough fats from the rest of your diet.

If you don't want to eat it, don't eat it.
 
I'm not sure how much cheese is too much but I'm going to try it out very soon!
I was a bit down, and a friend decided cheese would be the way to cheer me up, so she sent me 35 euros to be spent on good quality cheese. I live alone, so this is a lot of cheese, even if bought in a proper (and expensive) cheese store rather than the supermarket.
 
Enjoy!
 
Wow what a friend, I need someone like that in my life! I hope it worked and you're feeling better.
 
I love cheese and find it easy to keep on eating it.
Too much cheese for me is where it starts to increase my weight, but I'm OK eating up to around 150gms per day. It when I go up to 200 to 250gms per day that I start to feel the effects on my waistline (though fortunately not on my Blood Glucose).
 
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