An excellent source of high-quality proteins and minerals, cheeses are also fairly rich in fats and calories. They are made by "concentrating" the proteins and fats in milk while simultaneously removing most of the water. The fats in cheese are predominantly saturated, that is, the most harmful to the cardiovascular system.

Low-fat cheeses — do they really exist?

Most cheeses contain between 15 and 60 per cent total fat. A fairly significant amount, when you consider that other sources of high-quality protein, such as fish or eggs, contain considerably less (around 11 per cent for eggs, between 2.5 and 12 per cent for oily fish). In fish, the quality of the fats also differs: it contains a good amount of omega-3, with antioxidant and cardioprotective properties.

A list of low-fat cheeses

Even cheeses commonly regarded as "low-fat", such as mozzarella, are not spared — it contains between 16 and 20 per cent fat. For example, a bocconcino (the smallest format of mozzarella, roughly the size of a small walnut) has the same number of calories as a slice of young beef weighing around 200 grams. It is therefore a mistake to think of mozzarella as a "diet" food suitable for a low-calorie diet.

Ricotta fares slightly better — it is far more digestible and has a fat content that does not exceed 15 per cent. That said, the lower-fat cheeses, such as quartirolo, are also the least tasty and palate-pleasing, precisely because it is the fatty substances that give a cheese its flavour and creaminess.

Quark

Quark is a fresh soft cheese originating from central Europe. It is made from goat's milk or a mixed goat-and-sheep's milk from mixed breeds. In Germany, it accounts for around half of total cheese production.

In this case, the milk is skimmed and pasteurised, then curdled by adding lactic acid bacteria and a very small percentage of rennet. To bring low-fat quark to the desired fat content, it must be enriched with an amount of cream that is blended in to obtain a smooth, creamy mixture, which can alter the calorie content. This is why there can be large differences in fat and calorie content among the various types of quark available on the market.

Low-fat quark remains a low-calorie cheese (containing just 90 calories) and is characterised by a very low dry matter content.

Are light cheeses really lighter?

And are light cheeses really as light as they claim? Some products declare a percentage reduction (for example, 40 per cent less fat) calculated, presumably, relative to the fat content present in the previous version of the same product. Now, suppose the full-fat version contained 30 per cent fat; the low-fat version would still contain 18 per cent fat — a substantial amount nonetheless. Some studies also show that if a product is perceived as low-fat, people tend to consume more of it, ultimately taking in an amount of fat equal to or greater than what they would consume by eating the food considered "fatty".

To avoid getting it wrong, a little common sense is all it takes: without giving up the nutritional value of cheeses — a prime source of calcium and phosphorus — it is simply a matter of not overdoing the quantities, alternating dairy products with other protein sources such as eggs, fish, pulses and oilseeds. Those who need to be particularly careful are new vegetarians, who tend to "replace" meat with large quantities of cheese, without considering that cheese, compared to meat, is even richer in saturated fats.