French Cheese Has More Cancer-Fighting, Fat-Reducing Fat

A little Frenchy to go with your cheese and crusty bread and thou!

What is most important is the quality of the cheese, and not the type. The quality of animal products-cheese in this case-is directly related to the quality of the diet of the animals it comes from. for example, cheese from grass-fed cows is more than four times richer in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a cancer-fighting, fat-reducing fat that has been widely studied for its health benefits. Cheese from standard, grain-fed cows doesn't have nearly as much (French cheeses are especially high in CLA. A 1998 survey found that CLA levels in French cheese range from 5.3 to 15.8 mg/g of fat. American cheese from conventional dairies has half this amount. French dairies are more likely to raise their cows on pasture, which results in naturally high levels of CLA.)

The benefits of cheese from healthy animals extends beyond CLA. Unpasteurized Camembert is a natural source of probiotic lactobacilli, the very same protective bacteria we find in yogurt and naturally fermented food.

So, tonight we can enjoy dry roasted soy nuts, Pinot and delicious Camembert.


The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth -- Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.