Warning: Cheese is As Addictive As Opium

Cheese may well be the national pastime in the United States. Even though cheese is widely consumed—and honestly, a bit tastier—in countries like France, Spain, and Italy, America has the highest rates of cheese consumption in the world. If you can’t quite seem to get rid of your cheese habit, you may actually be addicted.

WHY CHEESE IS MORE TROUBLE THAN YOU THINK

No one’s arguing that cheese is entirely unhealthy . In fact, cheese has high amounts of nutrients that you need to stay healthy. Cheese provides calcium, which may strengthen your bones and minimize PMS symptoms for women. However, cheese doesn’t exactly fall in the category of health food.

It is extremely high in saturated fat, which has been tied to an increase in heart disease and blood pressure. Furthermore, fat levels in cheese have been linked to high cholesterol levels. High cholesterol may be the cause of many major health problems.

IS CHEESE REALLY ADDICTING?

Anyone who loves cheese knows how hard it is to stop after one cube or one little wedge. But is it just because cheese tastes good or is there something else going on in this tasty food?As it turns out, there may be more truth to your joke about being addicted to cheese than you thought. Milk contains a protein called casein.

Milk curd is processed and processed to create cheese. Because of this, eating cheese gives you a much higher concentration of casein than drinking milk.During the digestive process, casein creates casomorphins. These chemicals work in much the same way as opiates in the human body.

This sudden rush of pleasure and subsequent lack of pain can definitely create a condition in which you become addicted to the source—in this case, cheese. You may also be interested to know that decades of research on cheese shows that it contains trace amounts of morphine.

They believe that this is present in cow’s milk because it strengthens the bond between a cow and her calf.

BREAK FREE

What does this mean for you? Are you stuck feeding your cheese habit every few hours for the rest of your life? Of course not. While cheese has addictive properties, so do many of the things we enjoy, including physical touch, sweet foods, and exercise.

Knowing that your desire for cheese may be more than simple hunger, you can choose to resist it and make healthy choices when it comes to your food. You do not have to cut cheese out entirely, especially since it is a great source of calcium, phosphorus, and other nutrients. However, given its fat levels, you may want to cut back.

You may find it easier to kick the cheese addiction if you allow yourself to indulge in extremely high-quality cheese. Rather than sneaking slices of processed cheese product, go ahead and spring for a large wedge of brie at the store. Then it is easier to stop at one small serving.

Cheese addiction is an actual risk, but with your willpower and your knowledge of healthy eating, you can make sure that cheese is just one small part of your balanced diet.