Reduced-Fat Cheddar
Food · Dairy · Food, Typed Supps
Less fat, less salt, and more protein and calcium than the full-fat version.
Stage by stage
- Less melt (The pan): Fat is part of what makes cheese flow, so reduced-fat behaves differently when heated.
- More protein (Muscle): 27.9 g per 100 g — higher than full-fat, because removing fat concentrates the rest.
- More calcium (Skeleton): 800 mg per 100 g against full-fat’s 720.
- Less sodium (Circulation): 550 mg per 100 g, below full-fat and less than half processed cheese.
Timing
Nothing to time. The only real change is in cooking, where it melts less readily than full-fat.
Time to effect
- Per 30 g: About 8.4 g protein and 240 mg calcium.
- Cumulative: Calcium and protein contribute over time.
Allergens
Contains: Milk. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto.
Satiety
112 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: 324
- Protein: 27.9g
- Fat: 23.4g
- of which saturated: 15.1g
- Sodium: 550mg
Food vs. supplement
Most reduced-fat products give something back — usually sugar or salt — to make up for the fat. This one does not: protein, calcium and selenium all go up and sodium goes down, because concentration does the work.
Kitchen tip
Grate it finer than you would full-fat. Less fat means less flow, so smaller pieces melt more evenly.
Common myth
“Reduced-fat cheese is a pointless product — they always take out the good stuff.” In reality: Not here. Removing fat concentrates everything else, so reduced-fat cheddar has more protein (27.9 g against 24.6), more calcium (800 mg against 720) and less sodium (550 mg against 686) than full-fat. The real trade is culinary: it does not melt as well. And at 23.4 g of fat per 100 g it is still not a low-fat food.
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