Say Cheese !!?
Cheese!
Okay, not that kind of cheese… Sargento Cheese and Foodbuzz has teamed up in a unique Tastemaker Program posting opportunity. I was selected to participate and as such, received a $25 AmEx gift card to participate in this taste test! Now that is something to smile about!
Need another reason to smile?
Sargento contains only natural ingredients, such as milk, cheese cultures, enzymes and salt. While it is a “processed food”- it is not a “processed cheese”. It is cut directly from a real block of cheese and packaged immediately. Processed cheese is made with all kind of processing agents, it is often made from real cheese and packed with sodium. Instead of being actual real cheese- popular processed cheese is commonly labeled ” cheese product”.
From my nutrition expertise, cheese is a good source of protein and calcium but can be relatively high in sodium and saturated fat. As you can tell by this blog though, I am also a big fan of enjoying every bite of your food and balancing what you want with what you need. Cheese can be a good addition to your diet, as long as it is in moderation and as long as it is GOOD cheese. You should get in 3 cups of Dairy servings per day, one serving is equivalent to 1 oz of cheese. Sargento cheese makes delicious, real cheese that would be a great choice for your dairy options. Already being an avid Sargento fan…
I used the gift card to purchase the taste test ingredients…
I compared their sliced cheddar to a 2% reduced fat competitor because it was closer on fat and calories. I also purchased a Sargento fridge pack for easy snacking and testing- with the comparison of closest similarity (nutrition-wise) being a reduced fat snack cubes. For contrasting bites, I grabbed my favorite Brown Rice chips and some raisins because I will enjoy those after testing too! I made it a little more fancy with using pieces of banana bread topped with blueberry acai jam, sliced avacado, and some gorgonzola pieces as well.
Cheese Tasting Tips:
Look for fruity, spicy, sharp, and other characteristics of cheese, a pungent aroma, the bite, the finishing notes that linger. It is almost like testing a glass of wine with aromas and tannins and oak! I can’t help but go there since I am going there … to Napa… in less than 1 week!!!! Okay, back to the cheese.
These characteristics mentioned above are all found in real cheese as opposed to processed cheese product. The Sargento had a complex, sharp initial taste but as I chewed it was even more pleasing. The vermont-sharp white cheddar actually lingered for a little while after tasting. Some sweet raisins after one bite and some salty chips after another produced a better satiety level as they complemented the cheese. The competitors tasted rather salty but bland at the same time, with far less sharpness and minimal pungency. Explore the complexity of your food, don’t just settle at salty and sweet!
Thanks Sargento and Foodbuzz!
