Find out whether parmesan cheese is good for weight loss or fattening so your diet can offer the results you want.
Parmesan cheese is relatively high in calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
That means this cheese is relatively filling and can help you reach protein goals but also adds a lot of energy to your diet.
The result is that it is hard to say anything general about whether parmesan will be good for weight loss or not.
On the one hand, it can fill you up enough to eat less of foods that are worse for fat loss. Eating enough protein is important too.
On the other hand, it is theoretically possible to eat too much parmesan cheese before feeling full.
In any case, there are food and more specifically cheeses that are better for weight loss.
Parmesan cheese could help you get to your goals too but there is somewhat more “risk” involved.
Calories in parmesan cheese
The number of calories in parmesan cheese does not tell everything but does offer helpful information about its weight loss potential.
Different brands can vary but one example of hard parmesan cheese contains around 392 calories per 100 grams (1).
Since parmesan cheese only contains around 3.2 grams of carbohydrates, it is generally low-carb and keto-friendly.
One tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese (5 grams) contains around 21 calories (2).
It is fair to say that parmesan cheese is relatively high in calories per 100 grams compared to many other whole foods.
This is generally not that helpful when losing weight. However, you do want to check where these calories come from.
Protein in parmesan cheese for weight loss
How much protein there is in parmesan cheese is important for weight loss.
Before going into the benefits of this nutrient category, 100 grams of parmesan cheese contain around 35.8 grams of protein (1).
To compare even a food like salmon which is already high in protein contains around 25.4 grams of protein per 100 grams (3).
In simpler words, parmesan cheese is very high in protein. Parmesan cheese is actually number one on our list of the cheeses highest in protein.
This nutrition detail is generally helpful when losing weight.
The first reason for this is that protein is very filling.
In turn, parmesan cheese can help you reduce hunger and cravings which are big stumble blocks when trying to lose weight.
Additionally, eating enough protein is important for preserving and building muscle mass.
In turn, this muscle will help you burn more calories throughout the day which benefits your weight loss efforts too.
So parmesan cheese is very high in protein which is generally a good thing when trying to lose weight.
Vitamins and minerals in parmesan cheese
Exactly how much the vitamins and minerals in parmesan cheese can benefit weight loss is hard to put into numbers.
Partly because this will depend on the rest of your diet too.
That being said, since it is generally smart to consume enough vitamins and minerals, it is worth checking how parmesan cheese does in this area.
100 grams of parmesan cheese contain some of the following vitamins and minerals (1):
- Calcium: 118% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 69% of the DV
- Sodium: 49% of the DV
- Selenium: 32% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 20% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Parmesan is relatively high in vitamins and minerals too.
This is generally positive when trying to lose weight and get healthier.
Is parmesan cheese good for fat loss or not?
At this point, it should be clear that parmesan is high in calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
It is hard to make any general statements about what this combination will do for you in terms of fat loss.
Partly because the rest of your diet will influence your results a lot too.
On the one hand, parmesan cheese is very filling and can help you hit your daily protein intake goals.
This could make it so you eat less of foods that are worse for weight loss and can help you preserve/build muscle.
In this case, parmesan cheese would be good for fat loss.
On the flip side, there is still a chance that you can eat too much parmesan for weight loss before it satisfies your hunger.
Especially if the rest of your diet is not that good.
In this case, parmesan cheese could theoretically make you gain a bit of weight.
So parmesan cheese is not the worst food option when trying to lose weight but there is still a certain “risk” if you don’t pay enough attention.
Parmesan cheese vs mozzarella cheese for weight loss
Mozzarella is another popular cheese so you may wonder how it compares to parmesan when trying to lose weight.
First of all, mozzarella contains fewer calories than parmesan, about 296 calories per 100 grams (vs 392 calories) (4).
Next, with 23.7 grams of protein per 100 grams, mozzarella is lower in this nutrient than parmesan (35.8 grams).
Parmesan cheese is slightly higher than mozzarella in vitamins and minerals overall.
In turn, mozzarella will generally be slightly better than parmesan cheese for weight loss.
How to eat parmesan cheese when losing weight
In combination with what dishes you eat parmesan cheese is important when trying to lose weight.
Some of the best ways include on its own or in something like a salad to add some taste.
On the other hand, you generally want to avoid eating parmesan cheese together with pasta, lasagne, popcorn, and pizza when trying to lose weight.
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