Why are you Addicted to Cheese?

Copyright (c) 2008 Stephen Lau

Cheese is a part of the American culture. Americans enjoy eating cheese, and some are even addicted to it.

Is there such a thing as cheese addiction? Is it an overstatement that you could, in fact, be addicted to cheese?

In the 1980s, scientists already discovered a trace of morphine in milk and dairy products, in particular, cheese.

Morphine, which is an addictive opiate, was found to be present in cow. Specifically, casein, a milk protein, releases opiates upon digestion. Cheese contains more casein than is found in milk from either cows or humans, because cheese is concentrated protein with water and lactose sugar extracted. Accordingly, eating too much cheese may result in cheese addiction.

Is cheese addiction bad for your health? Well, once you stop your cheese addiction, you may reap substantial health benefits.

Cheese is concentrated protein: a 2-oz serving has about 15 grams of fat, most of which is saturated, giving you bad cholesterol and blocking your arteries. Stop eating cheese may help reduce your bad cholesterol level.

Too much cheese may give you arthritis and migraine attacks. Research showed that cheese triggers migraines in many patients, and that cheese is also implicated in 50 percent of rheumatoid arthritis due to its high fat content.

Research also showed that cheese increases insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), which is an aggressive promoter of cancer and abnormal cell growth.

Milk products may play havoc with your absorption of vitamin D, which is derived mainly from exposure to sunlight and which has to be activated by the liver and the kidneys. However, too much calcium from dairy products may suppress instead of activating the vitamin D in your body. Insufficient vitamin D increases the risk of prostate cancer.

In addition, cheese, which is rich in animal fat, increases the production of testosterone, which is linked to prostate cancer.

Cheese has much more casein (a protein that breaks down during digestion to form opiates - addictive substances) than is found in milk, ice cream, butter or other dairy products. Therefore, cheese, which has 70 percent of its calories from fat, is not only addictive due to the presence of opiates, but also fattening. Yes, cheese makes you fat!

Cheese addiction may lead to high blood pressure. A 2-oz serving of cheddar cheese has about 350 milligrams of sodium, and a cup of low-fat cottage cheese has over 900 milligrams of sodium - and sodium is a critical contributing factor in high blood pressure.

The dairy industry has colluded with fast food restaurants to add more cheese to their foods to trigger your cheese craving. A case in point, SUBWAY signed a contract with the industry in 1996 to include cheese in some of the sandwiches.

The cheese industry may be promoting all the health benefits of cheese because it wants you to be hooked on to cheese.

Stop your cheese craving and break your cheese addiction!

Eat a healthy breakfast every morning with no animal products, such as milk, eggs, bacon, ham or meat sausages, and, of course, cheese. Only time will and can change your taste buds (it takes no more than a few weeks).

Eat a fiber-rich diet, such as grains, fruits, and vegetables. A high-fiber diet controls and regulates your blood sugar level to stop your cheese craving.

Boost your appetite-controlling hormone (leptin) through eating enough calories (in other words, no dieting to reduce caloric intake), a low-fat diet, and exercising.

Learn to cope with stress to reduce the propensity to use cheese eating as a solution to your emotional problems.

Motivate yourself to get out of cheese addiction with daily affirmations of the health benefits of not eating cheese, such as lower blood pressure, a healthier heart, and stronger bones, among others.

Too much cheese is not good for you!