It's easy to get confused about cheese's place in your diet. On the one hand, the calcium it provides makes it an important part of a healthy diet. But dieters need to be wary of this calorie-rich food. Cheeses are not all created equal; this article groups some popular cheeses by calorie content. All serving sizes are 1 oz. unless otherwise noted.
Low-Calorie Cheese (Less than 100 calories per serving)
Certain varieties of cheese are naturally low in calories and fat or have low-calorie versions. These cheeses find their way onto diet plans because they're a good way to get calcium without a lot of calories:
Naturally Low-Calorie Cheeses
Cottage Cheese (4 oz.) - 116 calories; 5.1g of fat
Ricotta (4oz.) - 216 calories; 16.1g of fat
Feta - 75 calories; 6g of fat
Camembert - 85 calories; 6.9g of fat
Gruyere - 49 calories; 2g of fat
Low-Fat Versions of Cheese
Cottage Cheese (4oz.) - 81 calories; 1.2g of fat
Cheddar - 49 calories; 2g of fat
Swiss - 50 calories; 1.4g of fat
Typical Cheeses
When in doubt, a good ballpark guess for most cheese is around 100 calories per ounce. All of the following popular cheeses fall within that range. The calorie difference might not seem large, but remember that one ounce of cheese is roughly one cubic inch. Most people don't stop at that amount.
Bleu Cheese - 100 calories; 8.1g of fat
Brie - 95 calories; 7.8g of fat
Gouda - 101 calories; 7.8g of fat
Cream Cheese - 99 calories; 9.9g of fat
Monterrey Cheese - 106 calories; 8.6g of fat
Muenster - 104 calories; 8.5g of fat
Provolone - 100 calories; 7.5g of fat
Calories You Might Not Expect
Some cheeses have a surprising amount of calories. However, these tasty morsels can be incorporated into a diet as long as you pay attention to portion size.
Cheddar - 114 calories; 9.4g of fat
Parmesan (grated) - 122 calories; 8.1g of fat
Colby - 112 calories; 9.1g of fat
Swiss - 108 calories; 7.9g of cheese
These low-fat cheeses cut the fat, but they don't have many fewer calories than the full-fat versions. You might as well go for the full-fat full taste and simply keep an eye on portion size.
Monterrey Jack - 88 calories; 6g of fat
Cream Cheese - 70 calories; 5.2g of fat
Cheese Products
Some processed cheeses are surprisingly low in calories. And while foodies might not call them 'cheese' at all, when substituted for the real thing in a diet some varieties can save you a few calories.
Processed American - 93 calories; 7g of fat
Cheese Sauce - 59; 4.5g of fat
Cheese Spread - 84 calories; 8.1g of fat
Cheese Fondue (4oz) - 247 calories; 14.5g of fat
Tags: Cheese calories, calories Cheese, calories Cream, calories Cream Cheese, calories Swiss
