As foods go, cheese is the most glorious thing I’ve ever known. You might think I’m exaggerating for the sake of this insight article, but this isn’t the case. Cheese and I have a past, and our love affair was renewed during, of all times, my honeymoon in France.

My wife and I spent a wonderful three weeks driving through France, sampling its different regions gastronomy. Fine wine and meats were on offer at every turn, and everything tasted as though it had been soaked in butter (not a bad thing). Amazingly, neither of us gained any weight! Everywhere we went we found cheese, and I could not get enough.

Where this article is concerned, my trip to France doesn’t tell the whole story (you might have known that as a dentist I’d find an oral health angle to all of this). What does cheese have in abundance? Flavour? Yes. Delicious, unearthly texture? That too. What else does it offer that would make only a dentist happy?

Calcium.

With help from phosphorous and vitamin D, calcium is the main component of bones and teeth. We can all agree that bones and teeth are essential components of us as people. They let us sit, stand, run, jump, walk, lie down and eat; I’d put those down as the fundamentals. Calcium is a critical mineral nutrient found predominantly in dairy products. It helps strengthen the teeth, and the stronger our teeth, the better they can withstand the day-to-day abuse they endure. Calcium also helps with tooth retention and gum disease by strengthening the jawbone.

As a dairy product, cheese is a great source of calcium (it can also make you chubby, but that’s another story). If you’re something of a connoisseur like me, have a look at the chart below, which shows various cheeses and their calcium levels.

Calcium Measures In Cheese (per 100 g)
Parmesan – 1109
American – 1045
Swiss – 772
Provolone – 756
Monterey Jack – 746
Mozzarella – 505
Feta – 493
Camembert – 385
Ricotta – 207
Cottage – 60/80

As mentioned, calcium works best when ingested with phosphorous and Vitamin D. Easily found sources of these elements are below:

Phosphorous | egg, beef, chicken, turkey, halibut, bread

Vitamin D | trout, mackerel, salmon, tuna, egg yolk, milk

If you like, try adding mackerel or smoked salmon to your next 3 A.M. cheese plate. Better still, try this delicious recipe for devilled eggs.