Are Cheese Curds Healthy? | Your Questions Answered (2024)

Over the years, cheese curds have made a name for themselves. They started off as an accident, really. The leftover pieces from larger cheese blocks were taken home to families of cheese makers to enjoy for a special treat. Eventually, cheesemakers realized that these little bits of cheese could be a product they sell. This proved to be a genius business idea. Soon, cheese curds became an accepted staple in the cheese world, and cheesemakers began to produce cheese curds especially for retail.

Today, cheese curds are eaten straight from the container, battered and fried, or put in Canada’s favorite dish, poutine. As the fame of cheese curds begins to spread, questions arise about their production and their health benefits. Are cheese curds healthy?

As you raise a family and create a healthy lifestyle, it’s important that you watch what you put in your body. With food being mass-produced and processed for a longer shelf life, it’s hard to find natural, healthy food. You find yourself asking questions like: “What is a good snack to feed my family?” “Are cheese curds healthy?” “Should I be eating cheese curds on a diet?”

Let’s take a deep dive into the nutritional facts of cheese curds and find out all we can know about their health benefits and answer the question “Are cheese curds healthy?” once and for all.

Are Cheese Curds Healthy?

Cheese curds make a tasty snack or a great addition to a salad, but what benefits are you getting from adding these little nuggets of cheese to your diet? Cheese curds have a surprisingly vast amount of nutrients and have some unique health benefits.

Are Cheese Curds Healthy | Nutrition Facts

Let’s look at one ounce of cheese curds and see what all these little curds pack in. This little bit of cheese has roughly 84 Calories which mainly comes from the natural fat and protein found in the milk. One ounce of cheese curd has 5.61g of fat and 6.73g of protein. This bit of cheese contains 0.54g of sugar and 3.20g of saturated fat.

While having a low-calorie count, cheese curds pack in a lot of nutrients and things that are good for your body. One ounce of curds supplies you with plenty of vitamin B12, calcium, and protein.

Check out this chart to see what you get from one ounce of cheese. These daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Cheese curds are a fantastic source of protein, even though they aren’t the most protein-rich cheese. Cheeses like parmesan, mozzarella, and pecorino romano are some of the highest protein cheeses. The nutrients that are found in cheese curds aren’t necessarily unique to just curds. They’re essentially the same minerals and vitamins that are found in other cheeses. So, it’s safe to say that cheese curds are a good source of natural nutrients… just like most other cheeses.

How Many Carbs Are In Cheese Curds?

A major concern when you’re living a healthy lifestyle is the number of carbs in your food. How many carbs are in cheese curds? Is it worth consuming the extra carbs to get the nutrients that cheese naturally has?

Yes, it’s definitely worth it! Cheese curds are very low in carbs. This makes them the perfect fit for someone looking to keep the carb count low while getting a sufficient amount of protein. In one ounce of cheese curds, around 1.6 grams of carbs are found.

It’s recommended that carbs make up 45%- 65% of the total amount of daily calories. An average, healthy adult should consume around 2,000 calories a day. This means that between 900 and 1,300 calories should be coming from carbs. When converted to the amount of carbs you should be consuming, it leaves you with between 225 and 325 grams of carbs a day.

With the small amount of carbs in comparison to the protein, vitamins, and minerals found in them, cheese curds make an excellent healthy snack for you and your kids!

Cheese Curd Health Benefits

Did you know that eating cheese could help your dental health? Studies have shown that dairy products can, in fact, help you ward off cavities in your teeth. Cheese curds have also been found to help in preventing acid demineralization of tooth enamel.

Since the main ingredient in cheese is obviously milk, we know that cheese is high in calcium. Calcium is essential to developing stronger bones and preventing osteoporosis as the years add up. Vitamin A and zinc that are found in cheese are also known to make healthier bones.

The high levels of calcium and protein that are found in cheese curds help foster strong bones and muscles. The same type of whey protein that is found in powdered muscle-building supplements is found naturally and in great abundance in cheese. Calcium also helps lower blood pressure.

Dairy fats that are found in cheese have conjugated linoleic acid. CLA helps reduce inflammation and is thought to even prevent heart disease. Full-fat dairy products can contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but it must be done in moderation.

Cheese curds are a fermented food, and fermented foods are known for being good for gut health. Healthy bacteria found in cheese have helped keep cholesterol at healthy levels according to studies.

Are Cheese Curds Processed?

Cheese, in its pure form, has a lot of health benefits. It’s when preservatives and additives are put in cheese that they become health concerns. Cheese is processed to improve shelf life and to create that gooey melt that you’ve seen in cheese pulls on social media. When cheese goes through processing, the real cheese that is added at the beginning changes flavor and texture.

If you’re looking for real, unprocessed cheese, September Farm Cheese is the perfect destination for you! We are passionate about real cheese– it’s part of our name! From Aged Cheddar Cheese to Amish Butter Cheese, we have something for every cheese lover. Our Cheese Curds have proven to be a customer favorite over the years.

September Farm Cheese Curds are made with fresh farm milk from the property right next to our Honey Brook, PA, location. The milk is first pasteurized, and once the milk has reached ninety degrees, we add cheese culture. The cheese culture turns the milk sugars into lactic acid.

The next ingredient we add is rennet, an enzyme that makes the milk coagulate. This is an exciting part of the cheese-making process because, within twenty minutes of the rennet being added, the cheese sets up like custard.

Once the cheese is set up, the curd is cut. The curd is cut into small, delicate cubes. The curd is then cooked slowly. We heat the cheese vat with steam to ensure that the temperature goes from ninety degrees to one-hundred-two degrees slowly. We don’t allow the temperature to rise by more than two degrees in 5 minutes.

After the curds reach the proper temperature, we push them to the back of the vat. We drain off the whey which helps the curd to knit together. After draining for a while, the curd is again cut. This time it is cut into large slabs that are stacked on top of each other. The slabs are re-stacked and rotated every fifteen minutes as they firm up and release whey.

Once this process is over, we do a final cut of the curd by feeding the drained slabs into a curd mill. The slabs are chopped up into finger-sized pieces that are then packaged and sold in our store or online!

We pride ourselves in only using ingredients you can understand. We don’t put any additives into our cheeses, which makes them an excellent option for a calcium and protein-packed snack!

Are Cheese Curds Healthy and Keto Approved?

Are you about to embark on a Keto diet and you’re wondering if cheese curds are keto approved? You’ll be relieved to hear that, yes indeed, you can keep eating cheese curds on your keto diet. Let’s dive deeper into what the Keto diet is and what foods are acceptable.

What is the Keto Diet?

A keto diet limits the amount of carbs that you consume. By cutting back on the amount of carbs that you put in your body, your body has to burn fat to fuel itself. Because of this, your body can be put into a metabolic state called ketosis (hence the name). Ketosis is when your liver turns fat into little molecules of energy called ketones. Your brain and other organs use these ketones for energy.

Eating keto-approved foods also lowers insulin levels. The keto diet has proven to be effective for significant weight loss without the headache of calorie counting.

What Can I Eat on the Keto Diet?

When you are on a keto diet, you can’t consume too many carbs. The fewer carbs you eat, the more effective the diet will be. Foods that are acceptable are:

• Poultry, Meat, Seafood
• Cheese
• Natural fats
• Above Ground Vegetables

Foods with high carb counts should be avoided. These are foods like:

• Pasta
• Bread
• Potatoes
• Bananas

Don’t let the fear of giving up your favorite cheese curd snack keep you from a healthy lifestyle! With a keto diet, you can enjoy your cheese and lose weight at the same time. It’s a win-win!

Are Cheese Curds Gluten Free

Yes! Cheese curds are definitely gluten-free. For those with gluten-related allergies, cheese curds make a perfect thing to pair with your favorite gluten-free cracker.

You do have to watch different preparations of cheese curds for gluten. Some popular cheese curd dishes like poutine or fried cheese curds contain gluten. However, there are gluten-free options so you can enjoy those crispy and gooey little golden nuggets that everyone is going crazy over.

Where Do I Buy Real Cheese Curds?

Now that you know the answer to your question, “Are cheese curds healthy?” you’re probably wondering where you can get real cheese curds that aren’t processed and filled with additives. Luckily for you, you’ve come to the right place. At September Farm Cheese, you can buy our cheese curds online. You get to enjoy the squeaky bite of fresh cheese curds from the comfort of your own home. Your cheese curds will be freshly prepared and shipped right to the doorstep of your home or business. Say goodbye to the days of asking yourself, “Are cheese curds healthy for my family?” with our quality cheese curds!