Is Cheese Bad For You? The Truth About Saturated Fat and Heart Health
Today’s topic is a juicy one—Is cheese bad for you?
Let’s get real about saturated fat, heart health, and how cheese fits into a balanced lifestyle without guilt, fear, or restriction.
So… Is Cheese Really Bad for You?
Short answer: no, cheese isn’t bad. There are no “bad” foods unless:
It’s made with trans fats (which most of us now know to avoid),
You’re allergic to it,
Or it interferes with medication (like grapefruit juice can with certain prescriptions).
Cheese, like many foods, simply needs to be understood in context. One of my clients brought up this very issue during a recent Zoom call in the FIT40 group. She was using cheese as a high-protein snack—which is totally reasonable. But when we looked deeper, it was bumping her saturated fat intake way over her daily target.
This raised the bigger question: how much saturated fat is too much?
Understanding Saturated Fat Targets
The American Heart Association recommends keeping saturated fat under 6% of your total daily calories. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) tops out at 10%.
So let’s break that down:
If you eat around 1500 calories per day, 10% would equal about 16 grams of saturated fat (since fat = 9 calories per gram).
To find your limit, just multiply your daily calories by 0.06 or 0.10 (depending on your target), divide that by 9, and boom—you’ve got your limit in grams.
This matters because high saturated fat intake raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which increases your risk for heart disease. That’s not opinion—that’s decades of research.
Some folks online (especially in keto or carnivore circles) try to downplay this, but the science is clear: elevated LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
There was even a recent study floating around claiming LDL wasn’t as harmful—but it turned out they were comparing people with high LDL… to people with very high LDL. It’s like comparing one pack-a-day smokers to two pack-a-day smokers and saying, “See? No difference!” It’s misleading.
What Is Saturated Fat and Where Is It Found?
Not all fats are created equal. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Saturated fat = creamy, solid at room temp (think butter, cheese, fatty cuts of meat).
Unsaturated fat = liquid at room temp (think olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, seeds).
These are broken down further into monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs)—and yes, you can call them “Mufas and Pufas” if you want to sound fun at dinner.
High Saturated Fat Foods to Watch
Fatty red meat (like ribeye)
Full-fat cheese and dairy
Coconut oil and MCT oil (yes, those “health” foods are packed with saturated fat)
Palm oil and palm kernel oil
Certain processed and baked foods (even some protein bars!)
The best way to know what you’re eating? Read the label. It’ll break down the grams of total fat, saturated fat, and sometimes even the unsaturated fats. That way you can make informed swaps if needed.
Smart Swaps to Lower Saturated Fat
You don’t have to give up cheese (or flavor) to lower your saturated fat intake. You just have to be intentional.
Here are some simple swaps that make a big difference:
Use reduced-fat cheese or just use a smaller portion.
Swap butter or beef tallow for olive or avocado oil.
Instead of going heavy on cheese in tacos or Mexican dishes, load up on pico de gallo, salsa, beans, or veggies.
Choose leaner cuts of meat like chicken, turkey, or fish over fattier cuts like ribeye or pork shoulder.
Even small substitutions across the day can help get that saturated fat number in check.
Celebration vs. Obligation Meals
One of the ways I help clients navigate food choices is using this simple question:
“Is this meal a celebration or an obligation?”
If you’re out for a rare date night or a big family dinner that only happens a few times a year—go for it. Enjoy the cheesy appetizer. Order the steak. You don’t need to stress over one special meal.
But if you’re hitting the same restaurant every week for convenience or work functions, that’s more of a routine—or an obligation. That’s when I recommend opting for leaner options, like grilled chicken or fish, and asking for your food to be cooked without butter when possible.
What’s Your Goal?
At the end of the day, it’s about your personal goals. If your focus right now is heart health, weight loss, or lowering LDL cholesterol, then saturated fat should be something you're paying attention to.
But if you're doing great with your health markers, training regularly, and your lifestyle already includes some flexibility—you might have a bit more wiggle room.
What matters most is knowing how much you’re consuming, and whether that supports or works against your current goals.
Other Factors That Matter
Nutrition isn’t just math—it’s a puzzle. Here are a few pieces of that puzzle that often get overlooked:
Genetics: Some of us have family histories that make managing cholesterol harder. That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it means your blueprint is different.
Environment: Access to fresh food, local grocery options, and even how you commute (hello, food deserts vs. walkable cities) all matter.
Culture and Family: Traditional dishes might be higher in fat, and navigating that with respect and intention takes practice—not shame.
Practical Takeaways
Here’s how to apply all of this without overcomplicating it:
Track Your Saturated Fat Intake: Read your labels. Aim for under 10% of total daily calories, or under 6% for a more heart-protective approach.
Make Easy Swaps: Go for lean cuts, lower-fat cheese, unsaturated cooking oils.
Ask Smart Questions at Restaurants: "Can I get this without butter?" goes a long way.
Zoom Out: One high-fat meal won’t break your health. What you do most of the time matters far more than what you do once in a while.
Know Your Why: Whether your goal is long-term heart health, fat loss, or just feeling better—let that guide your food choices.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you want help putting all this into practice, I’ve got you covered.
Grab My Free 20-Minute Workouts: Perfect if you’re short on time and want effective, heart-healthy training you can do at home with minimal equipment.
Book a Free Nutrition Assessment: Let’s take a quick look at your habits and see what tweaks will make the biggest difference for your goals.
Apply for Coaching: Want someone in your corner to help simplify all this and guide you every step of the way? That’s what FIT40 Coaching is for.
Just click on whichever one you want to check out.
Thanks for reading. I know you came for the cheese—but you stayed for the real talk on saturated fat. I appreciate you taking the time to invest in your health and learn something new today.
Until next time, go kick some ass.
– Bryan
