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“You can absolutely make mac and cheese a more nutritious, balanced meal without sacrificing taste,” says Julie Andrews, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of The Healthy Epicurean. And surprisingly, intake of dairy fat like the kind found in cheese was actually associated with a slightly decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a meta-analysis of 18 studies published in September 2021 in the journal PLoS Medicine.Īnd what of the macaroni? Well, trading any refined white pasta for whole-grain varieties will net you more fiber, and there are plenty of alternative noodles on the market now as well. Cheese was the food most strongly associated with a reduced risk of age-related cognitive problems, according to a study published in November 2020 in t he Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, with people who ate cheese daily scoring highest on intelligence tests over time.
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And some research has found that eating cheese may be associated with other benefits.
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While cheese gets a bad rap for its saturated fat and can be high in sodium, most cheeses are good sources of protein and calcium, reports the Harvard T.H. The ultimate carb-laden comfort food, mac and cheese has always been a guilty pleasure - but it turns out, you can hold the guilt. When you crave a warm, comforting meal after a tough day or because you’re suffering from the winter blues, few things hit the spot more than digging into a bowl of macaroni and cheese.