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Surprising Health Benefits of Cheese

While many people tend to shy away from cheese in their diet because they think it will make them fat or that it isn’t healthy, the real truth is that cheese has a lot of health benefits, Fox News reports. From boosting metabolism and muscle-building to strengthening your bones and teeth, cheese can be a good addition to your diet.

Cheese has long been demonized for its saturated fat content, but research shows it has many benefits, including improved cardiovascular health and a lower risk for obesity and diabetes. Eating high-fat cheese can help improve your health by raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, thought to be protective against metabolic diseases and heart disease, while other types of full-fat dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, also have far greater health benefits than their low-fat counterparts, including a lower risk for obesity and diabetes.

The important thing to know about cheese is that you do NOT want to opt for the low-fat, no-fat options, milk included. I think it's safe to say that one of the biggest myths recently sabotaging many Americans' diets is the idea that low-fat and fat-free foods are healthy, when actually the opposite is true.

Full-fat cheese not only has all the natural vitamins and minerals, but can be a powerhouse of nutrition including calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K2, which together channel calcium into your bones and teeth while keeping it out of your arteries; this, combined with its omega-3 fats, make cheese a very heart-healthy food.