Gouda Cheese Nutrition Facts

The name Gouda, originates from a city that is tucked away in the Netherlands and is a generic name for other kinds of Dutch cheese as well. It has the creamiest of tastes among other cheeses, and has a mild flavor to it that takes months to taste even better than when it is initially made.

It is yellowish in color, and is made from cow's milk that is first cultured, heated and then separated from whey after it curdles.

It is then placed into round molds that give it its round shape, and then saturated within a brine solution that enhances its taste from there on. After this stage, it is then coated with yellow or red paraffin after it dries up, to prevent the cheese from drying out.

It can age within a few weeks from its preparation date, or go beyond a year in some cases. It takes on a different taste as it ages, and is most prized because of its unique flavor and creamy texture when one digs in.

Due to the process involving the use of raw milk, the governments go into a tizzy, prohibiting the use of this although some bend the rules and allow the use of unpasteurized milk. You can find this kind of cheese in places like Israel, Australia, Brazil and so on, where it is a major export from Holland, worldwide.

Due to its high fat content, it makes for a good creamy cheese base for dishes, like pastas and sandwiches. Cheese sauce using Gouda would work best when making dips and sauce based courses where its many elements can be highlighted using this cheese as its main component.

It can be used as shredded cheese or grated and comes with herbs and spices merged into its content, to give it an extra bang in flavor.

For those who like their cheese on the mild side when it comes to taste should try eating Gouda that hasn't aged for too long.

Whether you'd like to marry your Gouda cheese with a salad preparation, or a meat dish, or simply couple it with crackers, is totally up to you. How you manage your portions of this cheese is what plays a major role in calorie counting your meals. Take a look at how ordinary Gouda cheese compares to that of the smoked Gouda cheese.

Nutrient Content in Gouda Cheese Calories= 356 Portion= 100 g)

• Sodium - 819 mg
• Protein - 25 g
• Calcium - 700 mg
• Carbohydrates - 2 g
• Fat - 27 g
• Iron - 0.2 mg
• Cholesterol - 114 mg
• Sugars - 2 g
• Saturated Fat - 18 g
• Vitamin A - 563 IU

Nutrient Content in Smoked Gouda Cheese Calories= 80 Portion= 28 g)

• Sodium - 290 mg
• Protein - 6 g
• Calcium - 14%
• Carbohydrates - 0 g
• Fat - 7 g
• Iron - 0%
• Cholesterol - 200 mg
• Sugars - 0 g
• Saturated Fat - 5 g
• Vitamin A - 6%

The Gouda cheese health benefits take root from raw milk, being its major ingredient and the one that fuels its beneficial rate. It is of controversial debate as to whether this kind of cheese is fit for the masses, but at the end of the day, managing your intake is key. So the next time you pick up this cheese, don't think - just buy it

• Before milk is pasteurized, it is teaming with enzymes and colloidal minerals, which are necessary for the use and absorbing of sugar and fat within the body.
• A good immune system needs bacteria and lactic acids for proper functioning, which this milk has in its unpasteurized form.

• In order to effectively digest lactose, the body has to be able to absorb calcium present in milk, which is abundant in unpasteurized milk. The enzyme that is responsible for this function is called 'phosphataze'.

• When milk is heated, it converts into a substance that has toxic fats, sugars that can't be digested and minerals that aren't readily absorbed by the body.
• Unpasteurized milk has elements in it that aid in fighting against allergies

Gouda cheese as you can now understand have to be balanced out when eaten, and not over indulged into. It can have a long-term effect on the body being fatty in nature, and isn't something the body can handle if overly eaten. So manage your intake and turn to smoked Gouda for a less fattier alternative, and switch it around every once in a while.