Everybody LOVES their cheese. And as a bodybuilder who lived in Wisconsin (the cheese state)- let me tell you- I am no enemy to cheese. But when it comes to our favorite sport, what is the best cheese for bodybuilding?
I’m going to rank the best cheeses for bodybuilding on different factors- like nutrition and taste.
If you don’t have much time to read and need something quick. I highly recommend cottage cheese. Personally, I HATE the taste of cottage cheese- so it’s never in my diet.
But at 14g of protein for 80 calories, it is a staple for any bodybuilder’s diet, regardless if you’re bulking or cutting.
Let’s get into it.
#1 – Cottage Cheese – BEST Cheese For Bodybuilding
I’ll say this again, I just don’t like the taste of cottage cheese.
Look, it’s 2020. We have an abundance of food in the United States, we don’t need to eat things that taste bad as there is likely a substitute that tastes good.
Yes, in the old days of bodybuilding they would down and eat whatever they could- regardless of the taste. But ultimately, it’s not like that anymore.
Many people, including this YouTuber, have suggested adding things like peanut butter into the cottage cheese to make it taste better.
Regardless, there is no denying that cottage cheese is the best cheese for bodybuilding. That’s just how it is- without a doubt. Look at the nutrition on one of these:
- Calories; 80
- Fat: 1g
- Carbs: 6g
- Protein: 14g
That means this thing is straight up protein to help fuel your muscle growth.
Furthermore, basically every grocery store has cottage cheese. And for what it’s worth, it’s kind of cheap to buy.
Cottage cheese contains casein protein- which is super slow-digesting protein. This means it’s best to eat this before bed, as it will keep building your muscle while you sleep.
Overall, this is a pretty good item to buy. I just don’t like the taste, and that’s okay.
#2 – Swiss Cheese – Best Cheese For Bodybuilding Taste Wise
Swiss cheese is #2 just because of its taste and way it can be put in with any meal.
Do you want a chicken sandwich? Put swiss cheese on it, it will make it taste like 1000x better. Having literally anything? Put swiss cheese on it.
Or, you can just eat it alone. I frequently have 1-2 slices of swiss cheese before I go to bed. Let’s take a look at the nutrition.
- Calories: 110
- Carbs: 1g
- Fats: 9g
- Proteins: 8g
Not bad. So you get a pretty decent amount of calories and protein- and it’s super easy to consume.
As I talked in one of my bigger posts, Dirty Bulking – The Secret To Getting Big, part of bodybuilding is being able to actually eat enough food in a day. It’s simply impossible to eat 30 grilled chickens a day, it’s way too hard to eat that much.
Cheese is super easy to eat and digest. And like I said, swiss cheese won’t make you like throw up everywhere.
And that’s why it is one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding! It’s delicious, can be put on anything, and is easy to eat!
#3 – Classic American Cheese
Classic american cheese has always been a classic in America.
Look- I’m a bodybuilder, not a historian. But to be honest- I think American cheese is overrated. Not sure if they just like hype it up because it’s cheaper, but whatever.
Point being, it’s everywhere. You can get American cheese on virtually anything in this country. And most burgers you buy anywhere will have American cheese.
Like, if you’ve read my guide on using mcdonalds for your bodybuilding– you will be VERY familiar with American cheese.
Here’s the nutrition on a slice:
- Calories: 100
- Carbs: 1g
- Fat: 9g
- Protein: 5g
As you can see, most of the other cheeses on this best cheese for bodybuilding list will be incredibly better for you nutritionally than American cheese.
But- I have to rank it high because it’s simply everywhere in America. While some people can say they’ve never had mozzarella, provolone, swiss, or whatever- it’s basically impossible to say you’ve never had American cheese in this country.
Well Tommy, who cares if it’s so available? It’s not as good as the other cheeses.
Part of bodybuilding is the simplicity of it. Many people don’t want to get into our lovely sport because they don’t want to spend 5 hours a day cooking steaks and rice all day to go and ‘eat healthy’.
The truth is- I don’t want you hiking up the side of a mountain just to get some exquisite cheese heralded as the best cheese for bodybuilding.
You can get american cheese at subway, mcdonalds, dairy queen, culvers, anywhere. So just get it with your food- it’s avaliable, and anything helps.
#4 – Mexican Cheese
I think I have a problem. Most of my food comes from fast food joints, or simple and easy to make things at home.
Is that really a problem though? It gets the job done, and puts on muscle.
Point being, mexican cheese tastes incredibly good. And it’s super easy to make cheese quesadillas with this stuff.
I’m talking endless cheese quesadillas, slap a tortilla together with mexican cheese and put it on the pan for a few minutes. Or put it in the microwave, you horrible person.
Regardless, depending on your local mexican place, they typically use some blend of Mexican cheese. (or at least where I do, I don’t really know what the industry standard is).
And let’s be honest- it tastes good. It is one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding for GOOD REASON. Here’s the nutrition:
- Calories: 110 calories
- Protein: 6g
- Carbs: 1g
- Fat: 9g
When it comes to bodybuilding, Mexican cheese is one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding out there. So get after it and enjoy it!
#5 – Mozzarella
If you’ve read my blog a little bit. You may have stumbled up on my Nuwave Air Fryer review…
So if you haven’t- here’s what goes on. I get done with a workout, I load like 20 mozzarella sticks in that bad boy and let it cook. Then that’s something crazy like 1800 calories and needless to say, A LOT of protein.
And it tastes AMAZING. I don’t think anybody can say they hate mozzarella. Mozzarella tastes good in general, you can eat it alone.
Or- my favorite is to put it on like a meatball sub or something. Good stuff.
Let’s take a glance into one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding’s nutrition.
- Calories: 80 calories
- Carbs: 1g
- Fat: 6g
- Protein: 6g
Look, this stuff is good. Everybody and anybody can agree mozzarella cheese is preeeeety good stuff.
So get after it bodybuilder, order those mozzarella sticks.
#6 – Parmasean Cheese
I put this one as one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding for good reason.
Personally- I don’t believe in the whole ‘you need carbs right after a workout otherwise you won’t grow muscle’ thing. But, I do eat carbs after a workout to replenish energy.
Facts are, after a workout you’ll likely be incredibly tired. So carbs are useful in getting your energy back up.
This leads many bodybuilders to eat a TON of pasta!!!!
I’m biased- I hate pasta. Not my go-to meal, but I can’t hate against the people that eat it. The problem is, pasta is generally not that protein-filled.
You can fix this by emptying one of those ‘parmasean’ cheese bottles into your pasta. Look at the nutrition here!
- Calories: 20
- Carb: 0
- Fat: 1.5g
- Protein: 2g
So next time you’re eating pasta to get those calories in. Dump a whole bottle of parmesan cheese in there and get those gains going.
It truly is the best cheese for bodybuilding because it helps supplement your other food items.
This means you can still eat your favorite food, but now have the protein with it!
#7 – Provolone Cheese
Provolone cheese comes in last at our best cheeses for bodybuilding list.
I put it on here because a lot of people have provolone cheese sitting around, and it tastes great.
You can eat it alone, with something, whatever. But if you’re worried if it’s a best cheese for bodybuilding, you’re good.
Eat it as much as you want!
Here’s the nutrition:
- Calories: 100
- Carbs: 1g
- Fat: 7.5g
- Protein: 7.5g
#9 – Queso!!
Okay.
Queso is more for the dirty bulkers of bodybuilding. But I think it is one of the best cheeses for bodybuilding because it is like a secret weapon.
Nobody can resist queso. Furthermore, it is so easy to spread on anything. Chips? Done. Burrito? Done.
It’s delicious melted cheese. I was just thinking of this while I got chipotle to put it on the list.
While it isn’t the best nutritionally, it still gives a significant amount of protein.
- Calories: 240
- Carbs: 8g
- Fat: 18g
- Protein: 10g
Summary/Takeaway
The main takeway of the best cheeses for bodybuilding is just to eat cheese to be honest.
It has great protein for you, has a good amount of calories, and is easy to eat. It’s good stuff for building muscle.
So get out there, and get extra cheese in your chipotle, nobody’s watching.
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