Praise be!

Look, we're literally as obsessed with cheese as Wallace from Wallace & Gromit. Big claim but it's justified. Cheese can often get a bad rap from people who dismiss it as high in fat. Well, we were overjoyed when we spotted a study that's suggesting that the crown jewel in the cheese family might secretly be the new superfood. Yep, don't listen to the cheese naysayers because Parmigiano-Reggiano actually contains some vital vitamins and minerals. A study published in Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism identified parmesan as an easily digestible cheese that could have potential prebiotic and probiotic benefits. Moreover, it is rich in calcium and vitamin D, which are essential for good bone health and helping to avoid osteoporosis. It's also rich in vitamin A, vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorus, zinc, and copper. And good to note that hard cheeses are also higher in protein and lower in fat content than soft cheese. Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano, or parmesan, hails from Emilia-Romagna, a region in northern Italy and is carefully produced using farm-fresh milk from cows that have never been fed silage (dried animal feed). It's also aged for quite some time and this entire process makes fresh parmesan a nutritional powerhouse. So it's the fresh kind and not the shaker kind you're looking for if you want to enjoy these health benefits gals (our body is a temple and all that..!) Another important characteristic of parmesan is the total absence of lactose, the principal carbohydrate present in milk. The lactose disappears during the first hours after the cheesemaking process, so if you're sensitive to dairy this might be a winner for you. There you have it, next time you're out for an Italian or whipping up a pasta dish at home no need to hold the parmesan.