In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day, we created three different healthier options to the traditional dish.
- Pesto grilled cheese with Clover’s Monterey Jack cheese, pesto, and portobellos with sourdough bread
- Chipotle, fajitas and Clover’s Pepper Jack cheese with grain-free flatbread
- Cottage cheese, strawberries and hemp seeds over sprouted wheat bread and browned with a cooking blowtorch
Tips for a nutrient-boost on your grilled cheese sandwich:
- Add protein by blending cheese with shredded hard-boiled egg (shown in segment)
- Include as many veggies as possible to your sandwich
- Switch traditional mayo for low-fat cream cheese for additional protein or guac for healthy fats
- Opt for whole-grain breads with at least 3 g of fiber per serving
- Opt for natural cheddar cheese if you have lactose intolerance as it is naturally lactose-free
- Chose block cheese instead of shredded as it has less added ingredients
I chose to partner with Clover brand as it is tested to ensure that bacteria counts are 3-6 times lower than state and federal standards. Low numbers of bacteria cells and somatic cells indicate that the cows are healthy and free from infection. They are also non GMO, organic and the cows are not treated with growth hormone rBST.
Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a synthetic (man-made) hormone that is marketed to dairy farmers to increase milk production in cows. It has been used in the US since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993, but its use is not permitted in the European Union, Canada, and some other countries. The available evidence shows that the use of rBGH can cause adverse health effects in cows. The evidence for potential harm to humans is inconclusive. It is not clear that drinking milk produced using rBGH significantly increases (Insulin Growth-like factor 1) IGF-1 levels in humans or adds to the risk of developing cancer. More research is needed to help better address these concerns.
The increased use of antibiotics to treat rBGH-induced mastitis does promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but the extent to which these are transmitted to humans is unclear. Therefore, if possible it is best to chose dairy products where cow’s are not treated with rBST.
