When I was visiting the Azores Islands back in 2003, a couple of the things I noticed were; A) everyone seemed pretty fit and B) everyone ate Portuguese hard cheese more than once a day. Hard cheese was definitely a breakfast front runner and then it was eaten again later in the day for a snack.
I remember thinking, how can these people eat this much cheese and stay fit.....and live to what seemed like a long life in many cases?
Just the other day, while Barrel Tasting, my friend Kellie told me about a Dr. Oz show she watched where he claimed certain types of hard cheeses can lower your risk of developing cancer and can be heart healthy as well.
I'm excited!
I LOVE cheese!
Can I eat it guilt free now?!.....Not that I had too much guilt before, but this new found information was good to hear.
Here's what Dr.Oz had to say about hard cheese, cancer and heart health:
Gouda, edam, emmenthal and Jarlsburg cheeses are among some of the hard cheeses that contain a form of vitamin K called vitamin K2 (the scientific name is menaquinone) that is both antiangiogenic (blood vessel-inhibiting) and also kills cancer cells directly. The studies indicate that eating as few as 2 slices of these hard cheeses a day can lower your overall risk for cancer, including lung cancer and prostate cancer.
You might be wondering whether eating cheese frequently is such a good idea? Well, in this case, it turns out that vitamin K2 also protects the heart by preventing hardening of the arteries.
Many of the medical studies I’ve cited were done in Europe where cheese is regularly eaten, even on a daily basis, including breakfast. Personally, I think the research is so compelling that we should all find ways to add vitamin K2 into our diets.
I think it's time to go buy a round of my fave Portuguese hard cheese.
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| My Dad's family 'beach house' on the Island of Sao Jorge |
I remember thinking, how can these people eat this much cheese and stay fit.....and live to what seemed like a long life in many cases?
Just the other day, while Barrel Tasting, my friend Kellie told me about a Dr. Oz show she watched where he claimed certain types of hard cheeses can lower your risk of developing cancer and can be heart healthy as well.
I'm excited!
I LOVE cheese!
Photo by Google Image
Can I eat it guilt free now?!.....Not that I had too much guilt before, but this new found information was good to hear.
Here's what Dr.Oz had to say about hard cheese, cancer and heart health:
Gouda, edam, emmenthal and Jarlsburg cheeses are among some of the hard cheeses that contain a form of vitamin K called vitamin K2 (the scientific name is menaquinone) that is both antiangiogenic (blood vessel-inhibiting) and also kills cancer cells directly. The studies indicate that eating as few as 2 slices of these hard cheeses a day can lower your overall risk for cancer, including lung cancer and prostate cancer.
You might be wondering whether eating cheese frequently is such a good idea? Well, in this case, it turns out that vitamin K2 also protects the heart by preventing hardening of the arteries.
Many of the medical studies I’ve cited were done in Europe where cheese is regularly eaten, even on a daily basis, including breakfast. Personally, I think the research is so compelling that we should all find ways to add vitamin K2 into our diets.
I think it's time to go buy a round of my fave Portuguese hard cheese.
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I love cheese!!!
ReplyDeleteYummy, yummy, yummy...
I love cheese and have always eaten more of the soft variety, but will be selecting some hard cheese at the market. A good snack to add to my work lunch box.
ReplyDeletethose are some of my favorite cheeses- I love them hard or soft and always stinky-
ReplyDeleteGood to know about the K12- I have never heard of that-
Cheese from Sao Jorge is yummy or even Matos in Santa Rosa. Too bad my favorite from Sao Miguel is not a "hard" cheese... Thanks for taking away a little of my guilt too!
ReplyDelete@DeanO, I like it a little too much also;)
ReplyDelete@Ann, I have also had Matos Cheese, good stuff! We can all use some of our guilt taken away once in a while, right?!
I eat Parmesan and hard sheep cheese - try saying the sheep cheese three times fast - it morphs into some other words .. LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks for following my blog.
I ♥ cheese!!! My husband teases me about how much I love cheese.
ReplyDeleteI saw a comment from you over at Cabin Fever in Vermont, and I just had to come check out your blog. Hubs and I used to dairy farm in Ohio, then we had sheep. Now, we have a beef farm in Missouri.