Is Brie Cheese Good For Weight Loss?

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Find out whether brie cheese is good for weight loss so you can put together a tasty diet that works too.

Brie cheese is somewhat high in calories, relatively high in protein, and above average in vitamins and minerals.

It is hard to predict whether this will help you lose weight or not. Partly because the rest of your diet influences things a lot.

Brie cheese is relatively filling which means it could help you consume smaller amounts of foods that are not good for weight loss.

Eating enough protein is important for losing weight too.

At the same time, the number of calories in brie cheese could undo these positive differences in other areas.

Especially if you just start eating more on top of your standard diet.

So while brie cheese could help you lose weight, there are definitely “safer” alternatives too.

Even when it comes to cheeses that are good for weight loss, brie is not at the top of the list.

Calories in brie cheese

Other details matter too but looking at the calories in brie cheese is a great way to start figuring out whether it is good for weight loss or not.

100 grams of one example of brie cheese contain about 334 calories per 100 grams (1).

You may also like to know that brie cheese is often keto-friendly thanks to its low carb count of 0.45 grams per 100 grams.

That aside, the number of calories in brie cheese is above average/high compared to many other whole foods.

Especially compared to specific food groups like vegetables and fruits.

This is generally not a good thing if you are trying to lose weight.

At the same time, you still want to find out where these calories in brie come from before removing this cheese from your diet completely.

Micronutrients in brie cheese

Protein in brie cheese for weight loss

One of the sources of the calories in brie cheese that can actually be helpful for weight loss is protein.

Before going into the reasons why, brie cheese contains around 20.8 grams of protein per 100 grams (1).

As a comparison to a high-protein food, salmon contains around 25.4 grams of protein per 100 grams (2).

In simpler words, even though it is not the highest protein cheese, brie still contains a nice amount of this macronutrient.

The first way protein can benefit your weight loss efforts is by reducing hunger and cravings.

Since many people struggle to stick to healthy diets for these reasons, this aspect of protein is really valuable.

Secondly, eating enough protein is important for preserving and building muscle.

In turn, the extra muscle will help you burn more energy throughout the day.

So brie cheese contains a good amount of protein which is generally helpful for weight loss.

Vitamins and minerals in brie cheese

Exactly how much vitamins and minerals will speed up your weight loss efforts is hard to estimate.

Partly because it will vary a lot from person to person.

That being said, since many vitamins and minerals influence weight loss in one way or another, it is worth quickly checking what brie cheese offers in this area.

100 grams of brie cheese contains the following vitamins and minerals (1):

  • Riboflavin: 31% of the DV (Daily Value)
  • Vitamin B12: 28% of the DV
  • Sodium: 26% of the DV
  • Selenium: 21% of the DV
  • Phosphorus: 19% of the DV

And other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.

Brie cheese contains nice amounts of vitamins and minerals.

Consuming enough of these is generally a good idea when trying to lose weight and just staying healthy in general.

Does brie cheese make you lose or gain weight?

By now you should understand that brie cheese is somewhat high in calories, contains a nice amount of protein, and comes with nice amounts of vitamins and minerals.

This combination makes it hard to say anything general about what brie cheese will do for your weight loss efforts.

On the one hand, it is possible that brie cheese will fill you up enough to consume less of other foods that are worse for weight loss.

In that case, brie cheese could help you lose weight.

Consuming enough protein is also helpful for this goal.

On the other hand, it is also possible to eat brie cheese in amounts that could be fattening.

Especially if you just add it on top of your current diet without any other changes.

So while there are some conditions in areas like the rest of your diet, the filling aspect of brie cheese could help you lose weight.

Can you eat the rind of brie cheese?

You can eat the rind, the outside, of brie cheese. Doing this can save you the time and effort of cutting it up.

In turn, this allows you to focus just a bit more on other areas of your weight loss, health, and life.

Different ways to eat brie cheese

It is worth noting that how you eat brie cheese will influence the weight loss effects of your diet.

Eating brie cheese on its own or with other healthy dishes like for example a salad is typically a good idea when trying to lose weight.

You can also cut the rind on the top off and bake the brie cheese in the oven.

After that, dipping with vegetables can be a delicious (and weight-loss-friendly way) to eat the cheese.

On the flip side, dipping with crackers is not that good for weight loss.

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Author:

Matt Claes founded Weight Loss Made Practical to help people get in shape and stay there after losing 37 pounds and learning the best of the best about weight loss, health, and longevity for over 4 years. Over these years he has become an expert in nutrition, exercise, and other physical health aspects.