one minute superfood: pecorino romano

You keep hearing me talk about Pecorino Romano...  It's in my post on spaghetti and spaghetti squash, even in my post on SuperCaesar salad.

Why? Because this funky little cheese is always sourced from grass-fed sheep in a certain region in Italy that ferociously protects its standards and its reputation.

It's one of the few cheeses that is actually good for you.

Pecorino Romano is also one of few true healthy sources of butyric acid (remember the thyroid post when we were talking about butyric acid/butyrate and your thyroid?) If you didn't catch this link in that post, read this article on butyric acid: benefits of butyric acid  In the article, you'll learn that dairy like simple butter is one of the highest sources. Unfortunately, processed commercial butter is really not that good for us. Pecorino Romano is a much healthier source because of how the animals are raised and how the processing is done. Only romano cheese labeled "Pecorino" holds to those standards, though.

Don't just go buy any romano cheese.

Pecorino Romano is also one of the highest food sources of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). And don't think you can just take CLA supplements because they generally don't work. CLA is the most powerful fatty acid that furthers serious weight loss, and the only way to get it to absorb properly and do your body good instead of bad is to eat a food source of it.

Why is CLA important? The short version: it's the ultimate good fat that melts your fat or stops fat cells from developing. Really. Studies have proven it. Our bodies don't make it so we need to get it from outside sources like meat or dairy, but modern-day conventional meat and dairy don't seem to contain much of it anymore because of what we're feeding our cows and how we process our foods. Body builders take CLA supplements. But like I said, the latest research is suggesting that food sources are much more absorbable (and don't have side effects). CLA can actually do more harm than good sometimes.

Because of that, I researched which foods have the very highest CLA content in the world, and Pecorino Romano is at the top. If you've got a hankering for a fatty rich cheese, eating this one is like taking a vitamin or a weight loss supplement. Just don't overdo it and eat the whole wedge in one night or anything like that. Cheese is fattening and this one has a very high salt content.

But everybody's talking about good fats. This is one of them. It's a fat, basically, that undoes your fat.

Trust me on it or google it. This is a ONE MINUTE SUPERFOOD post so I can't be long-winded like I normally am. I've already gone on too long.

(The only thing that would be better would be to find a cheese made from RAW unpasteurized organic milk from sheep that graze on grass. I found one but it's $35/lb. I won't suggest that to you. I think organic butter oil or ghee would also be high sources of the prize fat-fighters butyrate and CLA. But I need to do more research. In the meantime, instead of buying a wedge of plain parmesan (or worse, powdered processed parmesan) to shake on your pizza or pasta, just get in the habit of using Pecorino Romano.)

Here's a news report on a study: Study on health benefits of pecorino romano When they talk about 90 g servings per day, that's a little over 3 oz and 330 calories. Ouch. I'm still working on other (less caloric) sources of CLA. In the meantime, I'm eating pecorino romano and organic butter. I just found a place to get a cow share and I'll be picking up a gallon of raw milk (with the cream on top) every week and my own butter from the cream and my own yogurt from the milk. Yum. I can't wait. There will be lots of pictures when that starts!