Bocconcini
Food · Dairy · Food, Typed Supps
A soft, fresh cheese — a good calcium and protein source without too much salt.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Chewing begins): Chewing breaks the soft cheese apart and mixes it with saliva.
- Stomach (Casein curdles): Stomach acid curdles the casein protein and begins breaking it down.
- Small intestine (Calcium & protein absorbed): Calcium, amino acids, and vitamin A absorb into the bloodstream.
- Bone (Calcium built into bone): Calcium is deposited into bone tissue, supporting bone density over time.
Timing
Any meal; its own fat carries the vitamin A it contains.
Time to effect
- Months: Bone density responds to sustained calcium intake over months, not a single serve.
Allergens
Contains: Milk. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
108 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — moderate. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.
Environmental footprint
23.9 kg CO2e and 5605 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Cheese" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Mid — roughly £5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 246.7
- Protein: 16.6g
- Carbohydrate: 0g
- of which sugars: 0g
- Fat: 20.2g
- of which saturated: 14.5g
- Fibre: 0g
- Sodium: 210mg
Food vs. supplement
A 100g serve provides around 320mg calcium — about a third of a typical daily target — plus 16.6g of protein and vitamin A, none of which a calcium tablet alone supplies.
Kitchen tip
Serve at room temperature — refrigeration mutes the texture and flavor.
Common myth
“All cheese is loaded with salt.” In reality: Fresh, unaged cheeses like bocconcini carry a fraction of the sodium found in aged, hard cheeses.
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