How Many Calories Are In Swiss Cheese?

Cheese nutritional content varies widely. Some cheeses are low-calorie, others provide excessive amounts of fat and saturated fats. Before eating a slice of Swiss cheese, it's important to consider the total calories of this food item.

Swiss cheese contains 107 calories per 1 oz. serving. One serving also contains about 7.78 g of fat and about 5.04 g of saturated fat.

A 1 oz. serving of Swiss cheese represents 5.35 percent of your daily recommended caloric intake, according to MayoClinic.com. Fat content is about 11.97 percent of your daily value, and saturated fat content is 25.2 percent of your daily recommended value.

When compared to other cheeses, Swiss is a relatively low-calorie cheese. However, with a saturated fat value over 20 percent, Swiss cheese is considered high in saturated fats. For a similarly low-calorie cheese with about 42 percent fewer saturated fats, mozzarella works well as a substitute.

The Calories In Low-Fat Swiss Cheese

Swiss cheese actually refers to a variety of cheeses with origins in Switzerland. The one most commonly referred to as Swiss cheese in the United States is a type of Swiss emmental or emmentaler.

A 1-oz serving of low-fat Swiss cheese contains 48 calories, 7.95 g of protein, 1.43 g of fat, 0.95 g of carbohydrates and 0.37 g of sugar. The calorie composition is approximately 66 percent protein, 27 percent fat and 7 percent carbohydrate. A serving also has 0.93 g of saturated fat, 73 mg of sodium and 10 mg of cholesterol.

The same serving of low-fat Swiss cheese offers 24.1 percent of the dietary reference intake, or DRI, of phosphorus, 21 percent of the DRI of calcium, 19.6 percent of the DRI of vitamin B-12, 9.9 percent of the DRI of zinc, 7.8 percent of the DRI of riboflavin, 6.5 percent of the DRI of selenium and trace amounts of other vitamins and minerals.

Pair low-fat Swiss cheese with sliced tomatoes and a little bit of spicy mustard on whole wheat bread for a healthy lunch. Sprinkle grated Swiss cheese over tomato soup for added flavor.

Does Swiss Cheese Help Weight Loss?

Swiss cheese, although high in calories like other regular fat cheeses, can be part of your overall weight loss plan. Eating Swiss cheese will not cause you to lose weight; however, with careful planning, you can still enjoy Swiss cheese without ruining your weight loss plan.

Swiss cheese contains 107 calories per 1 oz. slice and 205 calories per 1/2 shredded cup. The slice of cheese has about 67 percent of its calories from fat, 28 percent from protein and the remaining percentage from carbohydrates. Of the fat in the cheese, 65 percent is from saturated fat. In addition to being high in calories, saturated fat consumption adds to your risk of experiencing heart disease. The other 35 percent of fat calories in Swiss cheese are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Adding a 1 oz. slice of Swiss cheese to your sandwich or as a flavorful addition to a baked chicken breast is about 7 percent of your calories on a 1,500 calorie diet.

If you follow a low-carbohydrate diet, Swiss cheese is a good choice, as 1 oz. of cheese has just 1.51 g of carbohydrates, and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese contains 2.91 g. A low-carbohydrate diet, involves limiting your carbohydrate intake and focusing on foods higher in protein. Swiss cheese has 7.5 g of protein in 1 oz., and 14.5 g in a 1/2 cup. Even if you follow a low carbohydrate diet, you must reduce calories to lose weight, and concentrate on eating healthy fats rather than foods very high in saturated fats.

Your body needs about 1,000 mg of calcium for bone and teeth health, and Swiss cheese is a good source of calcium. A 1 oz. slice has 221 mg, or 22 percent of your required intake, and 1/2 cup has 40 percent of your daily requirement. Calcium consumption may help your weight loss efforts, particularly if you generally do not consume much calcium. Other nutrients in Swiss cheese include a trace of sugar, less than 1 g of iron, 159 mg of phosphorous and trace amounts of some of the B vitamins. If you eat a slice of Swiss cheese, you also consume 54 mg of sodium, which is about 3.6 percent of the recommended 1,500 mg.

When you include Swiss cheese in your weight loss plan, use small amounts or choose the low-fat versions to save calories. A slice of low-fat Swiss cheese has 48 calories, less than half that of regular cheese. If you are monitoring your sodium intake based on your doctor's recommendations, use the lower sodium varieties. Sprinkle shredded cheese on a sandwich rather than adding an entire slice, use half the amount called for in a recipe and measure the cheese before adding it to your food.