The color is one difference in cheese. Most people recognize cheddar, Colby or American as yellow and brick or Swiss as white.
Nutritionally, hard cheeses such as Parmesan, cheddar, Colby, Swiss, brick and American are good sources of calcium that are equivalent to milk. One and one-half ounces of hard cheese is equal to the calcium in one cup of milk.
Cheese can also be substituted for meat at a meal or added to casseroles to increase the protein content. Cheese made from milk contains all the essential amino acids necessary for growth and repair of muscles and internal organs.
One major difference in cheeses, though unrelated to color, is the fat content. Cheeses can vary from three to eight grams of fat per ounce. Low-fat cheeses that contain five grams of fat or less include:
low or reduced fat cheeses
creamed cottage cheese
farmers
feta
light cream cheese
mozzarella, part skim milk
Neufchatel
Parmesan
pot cheese
ricotta part skim milk
string cheese
The calorie content of the white and yellow cheeses listed above is about the same at 75 calories per one ounce.
