Parmesan

Food · Dairy · Food, Typed Supps

A small amount goes further on calcium than most cheeses.

Stage by stage

Intake (Dense aged texture): The dense, low-moisture texture built up over long aging takes more chewing than a fresh cheese.
Stomach (Pre-broken protein digests further): Aging has already broken down much of the protein, so digestion has less work to do.
Small intestine (Calcium & amino acids absorbed): Calcium and free amino acids are absorbed, concentrated by the moisture lost during aging.
Bone (Calcium supports remodeling): Absorbed calcium and phosphate feed ongoing bone remodeling.

Timing

Eaten in small amounts (a tablespoon is typical), so it works as a flavoring rather than a meal component.

Time to effect

Months: Bone mineral density responds to consistent calcium intake over months.

Allergens

Contains: Milk. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Halal, Kosher, Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Vegetarian, Pescatarian.

Satiety

107 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

Pricey — roughly £16 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 374
Protein: 32g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 27g
of which saturated: 18.7g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 1000mg

Food vs. supplement

An ounce of parmesan supplies over 300mg calcium — about a quarter of a standard calcium tablet — plus 10g protein, vitamin B12, and phosphorus that the tablet alone doesn’t provide.

Kitchen tip

Grate it fresh from a wedge rather than buying pre-grated — the tubs often contain anti-caking starch and lose aromatic oils quickly.

Common myth

“Parmesan is basically just salt.” In reality: Gram for gram, parmesan delivers more calcium and protein relative to its sodium than most cheeses — the small amount typically used for flavoring keeps sodium intake modest while calcium and protein density stay high.