Parmesan

[kalikalooti]

I want to make pesto sauce at home and was wondering if it's ok to use Parmesan cheese? It seems like there's no low fat option...and the regular fat one has 25-28g of fat per 100g. Recommended level is 20g.

Thanks!

[Magna]

The recommendation is that if you eat higher-fat cheese, just limit the amounts more.

[kalikalooti]

Thanks!!

I don't usually overdo cheese, but what's the recommended max per day?

[Magna]

Two ounces per day (probably better to eat 1 ounce or less at a time). This limit doesn't apply to nonfat cottage cheese or similar cheeses.

[ami]

Actually, 2 serving per day. If it's hard cheese then like Magna said it would be 2 oz per day, if it's soft cheese like cottage cheese, then look at the container and eat 2 servings per day.

[Magna]

It's not completely clear, but I think the limit is for the kinds of cheeses where you have to be aware of the fat (the types where there should be no more than 6g of fat per 1 ounce serving).

Unless Dr. A or the website specifically says so, I don't think nonfat or 1% cottage cheese would be limited to 2 servings. A half-cup serving (about 3 ounces) has only about 80 calories, which is a good deal less than fish or lean meat. Vegetarians can use it as a main protein. If you decide to eat 2% cottage cheese, it might be a good idea to limit that (just my opinion).

[Kimboroni]

The guideline says all cheese, but I do think it makes sense to have an exception for nonfat cottage cheese. But it doesn't specify that-- that's our own interpretation.

[Magna]

I agree it's our interpretation, but I think it's a reasonable one. The Daily Dish (and a lot of what the SBD folks write) is sometimes unclear. Here's a link to the Daily Dish that mentions the limit:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98372

It says the limit is two 1-ounce servings of cheese per day. This could mean:
* Don't eat more than 2 ounces of any kind of cheese (cottage cheese or any other kind) per day, or
* Don't eat more than two servings (regardless of the serving size) of any kind of cheese, or
* Don't eat more than two servings of any kind of cheese that's measured by the ounce (referring to the limit on fat of 6g per 1 ounce of cheese)

The first one makes no sense. One ounce of cottage cheese is less than 1/8 of a cup, which is barely anything. I think the second one must be wrong too, because the Daily Dish specifically mentions the 1-ounce serving size as part of the limit. So I think they must have meant #3.

The "cheese limit" is also part of a sentence about the importance of limiting saturated fat, and even 2% cottage cheese, the fattiest kind allowed on SBD, is still very low in fat (about 2g to 2.5g per half-cup serving).

Of course, it's probably possible to overdo even nonfat cottage cheese and someone might have trouble losing weight if they eat too much of it.