American cheese vs Cheddar - Nutrition, calories and health impact

Classification

Cheddar cheese originated in and was named after the town of Cheddar in England. Earliest records of this cheese date back to the 12th century (1). Today, the requirements for cheddar cheese are a minimum of 50% fat content and a maximum of 39% moisture content (2). In other words, cheddar is a hard and dry cheese.

American cheese is a type of processed cheese made from cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, Colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these (3). This cheese is relatively young, with the first commercial processed cheese being produced in 1911, surprisingly not in the US but in Switzerland (4). American cheese has similar requirements to cheddar cheese, which are a minimum of 50% milkfat content and a maximum of 40% moisture (5).

Production

Traditionally, cheddar is made from cow milk. The manufacture of cheddar consists of preparing and standardizing milk, adding starter culture with rennet, coagulating milk, cutting the coagulum into small cubes, and heating and agitating the cubes. Later the whey is removed, and the curd is fused into slabs, continuously stirred, salted, and finally pressed․ After this long process, cheddar is required to be aged from two months to two years before consumption (2).

American cheese is processed from natural cheeses by melting and emulsifying with suitable salts. Later reformed and packaged into slices (4).

Appearance

Both of these cheese types come in shades of yellow, orange, or white. The yellow pigment is usually the result of a food coloring called annatto.

Cheddar usually comes in blocks, while American cheese is pre-packaged into slices.

Taste and Use

The taste of cheddar is often described as sharp and creamy. On the other hand, American cheese has a milder taste and a slightly salty flavor.

Cheddar and American cheese have the same melting point of 150°F (66°C). This makes them perfect for grilled cheese or as ingredients in various cooked meals.

Macronutrients and Calories

Cheddar cheese is relatively denser in nutrients compared to American cheese. Cheddar consists of 37% water, while American cheese contains 40% water.

American cheese and cheddar both have the same average serving sizes, equal to 1oz or 28.35g.

Vitamins

Although American cheese and cheddar have similar vitamin contents, cheddar is richer in more vitamins. Cheddar provides over three times more of the daily value of folate needed. Cheddar is also richer in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin A.

American cheese, on the other hand, contains higher levels of vitamin B12, vitamin B3, and vitamin E.

Cheddar and American cheese contain similar amounts of vitamin D, vitamin B5, and vitamin K. Both of these foods are completely absent in vitamin C.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cheese

5

American cheese

4

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+31.4%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+93.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+82.9%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+22.2%
Contains more FolateFolate	+237.5%

Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+12.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+28.8%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12	+36.4%
Contains more CholineCholine	+119.4%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0.6µg

~equal in Vitamin B5 ~0.403mg

~equal in Vitamin K ~2.6µg

Minerals

American cheese wins in the mineral category. American cheese contains over four times more iron, as well as more calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, manganese, and choline.

At the same time, cheddar is richer in zinc and selenium. Cheddar is also significantly lower in sodium, containing 2.5 times less sodium than American cheese.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cheese

3

American cheese

6

Contains more ZincZinc	+46.2%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-60.9%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+41.1%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+47.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+73.7%
Contains more IronIron	+350%
Contains more CopperCopper	+53.3%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+40.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+51.9%

~equal in Magnesium ~26mg

Glycemic Index

The glycemic index of most types of cheese is incredibly hard to measure, as they are very low in carbohydrates.

Based on the numbers from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, cheddar cheese has a glycemic index of 0, while the glycemic index of low-fat processed cheese is equal to 10 (6).

As we can see, while both of these foods have very low glycemic index values, the glycemic index of American cheese is higher compared to that of cheddar.

If you’re interested in reading more about the glycemic effect of cheddar cheese on blood glucose levels, you can visit our “Cheddar cheese” page.

Acidity

The required range for the pH values of processed American cheese is 5.3 to 5.8, making American cheese acidic (5).

Traditional cheddar has a pH of around 4.9, but nowadays, there are cheddars present with a pH of up to 5.3 (1).

Most cheddar cheese is slightly more acidic than American cheese.

An alternative way of measuring the acidity of foods is the potential renal acid load. The PRAL value demonstrates the ability of the food to break down to acids or bases inside the organism.

The PRAL values for cheddar and American cheese are 16.5 and 15.6, respectively. This shows us that cheddar is slightly more acid-producing than American cheese.

Cardiovascular Health

Due to its high calcium content and certain bioactive peptides, cheese has also been found to have a positive effect on high blood pressure (9). However, due to the high sodium content of American cheese, cheddar may be the better choice for people with high blood pressure.

In addition, Cheddar cheese has an ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitory activity so that it may decrease arterial blood pressure like some antihypertensive drugs (Captopril, Ramipril, etc.). This study found that increasing the ripening temperature from 4 °C to 8 and 12 °C enhanced the proportion of ACE inhibition (10).

Both of these cheeses are high in saturated fats, which consumption may increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in the blood (11). Which in turn increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease, one of the complications of which is myocardial infarction.

It should be noted that these cheeses, along with others, contain tyramine, which may cause a hypertensive crisis (blood pressure of 180/120 mm Hg or higher; a hypertensive crisis is a potentially fatal medical condition that can result in a heart attack or stroke) in patients taking MAO inhibitors (particularly antidepressants).

Bone Health

Everyone can take a few basic steps to prevent or decrease bone loss, which is a physiological process that is affected by a variety of circumstances. One of these steps is including enough calcium, good sources of which are cheeses. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for individuals aged 19 to 50 and men aged 51 to 70 is 1,000 mg of calcium per day. For women aged 51 and above and males aged 71 and up, the daily dose is increased to 1,200 mg (12).

It should be noted that preventing bone loss is a major concern for women in their postmenopausal years. Menopause is the most typical cause of osteoporosis (13).

Without adequate vitamin D and calcium, bones may not grow properly as a kid and may lose bulk, become weak, and break easily as an adult. Even if you get enough calcium, your body won't absorb it if you don't get enough vitamin D.

Diabetes

Cheddar and American cheese are very low glycemic index foods; however, the glycemic index of cheddar is lower.

Some studies have found an inverse association between cheese consumption and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk, while others find no association between the two (14).

Cancer

There is strong evidence that dairy consumption decreases the risk of colorectal cancer (15).

Intake of fermented dairy products, such as cheese, has been found to decrease bladder and esophageal cancer risk significantly (16).