Cheese Pushers and an American Addiction

Over the past year or so I remembered news stories about cheese being addictive because it had some morphine like property in it. Yay! Finally, I feel better about stuffing my face with the tangy, rich goodness. It's an addiction, after all. I have no control. So this past weekend, I tasted some Amish cheese with a friend, and we were discussing the addiction theory while eating a half a pound of the stuff and dismissing the digestive turbulence sure to follow. As Dave from Wendy's used to say: "Cheddar cheese is for Me-eese"

I looked up some info, and among the 'oddity' and 'offbeat' articles written to briefly say cheese has morphine and thats why we like it, pass the swiss, I found this one: www.vegsource.com...

This article seemed to have more info in it on just how cheese can be addictive, and the many ways it works on our cravings. Along the side, there was also a feature on "Cheese Pushers" and how consumption in the US has risen dramatically over the past several years due to efforts of the Federal Government.

Some hilites:

"When you drink a glass of milk or eat a slice of cheese, stomach acid and intestinal bacteria snip the casein molecular chains into casomorphins of various lengths. One of them, a short string made up of just five amino acids, has about one-tenth the pain-killing potency of morphine."

"What are these opiates doing there, hidden in milk proteins? It appears that the opiates from mother's milk produce a calming effect on the infant and, in fact, may be responsible for a good measure of the mother-infant bond."

"Cheese contains far more casein than other dairy products do. As milk is turned into cheese, most of its water, whey proteins, and lactose sugar are removed, leaving behind concentrated casein and fat."

"Cheese holds other drug-like compounds as well. It contains an amphetamine-like chemical called phenylethylamine, or PEA, which is also found in chocolate and sausage. And there are many hormones and other compounds in cheese and other dairy products whose functions are not yet understood. In naloxone tests, the opiate-blocking drug eliminates some of cheese's appeal, just as it does for chocolate."

And about the feds involvement:

"Cheese consumption in the U.S. rose from 15 pounds per person per year in 1975 to more than 30 pounds in 1999."

"The USDA Report to Congress on the Dairy Promotion Programs for the year 2000 described how the government and industry worked with fast-food chains to make sure that cheese was prominently displayed in menu items."

"One slide asked the question, "What do we want our marketing program to do?" and then gave the answer: "Trigger the cheese craving." He concluded with a cartoon of a playground slide with a large spider web woven to trap children as they reached the bottom. The caption had one spider saying to another, "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings."

My questions:
So what is all this doing to our collective a$$es?
How come the French, who eat more cheese than Americans, don't have such a problem?
Is the population not only fat, but pacified by all this cheese?
Do we feel some sort of motherly bond with McDonald's now?
Can it be that cheese just tastes damn good?
Are we so drugged up on caffiene, nicotiene and chocolate that we don't notice?
If we go off cheese, will there be a physical withdrawl effect?
Are Dairy Promotion Programs to blame for rampant obesity?
If skim milk has more opiates than whole, wouldn't it be more popular?

Your post made me think of "Cheese pushers" on street corners saying..."Hey man you want some cheeese??? I got the good stuff...cheddar, monterey jack, colby...whatever you want man.."

I have found that when I diet it's best to leave off cheese all together. I lose weight faster and easier that way cause cheese is so loaded with fat and calories.
Your post is very interesting. I'll think about it the next time I want extra cheese on my pizza!

Cheese pushers?

What are they trying to do, extinct the human race?

I'm a big cheese fan. The smellier, the stronger, the stranger looking, the better. I recommend smelly french fromage for those who worry about the fat content. The strong taste means you don't need nearly as much on your cracker!

as for the addictive properties, I'm not sure about cheese but certainly very few moments can't be improved by glugging down a couple of pints of milk. I find it a great relaxant... in fact..

*chug, chug, chug*... Aaahhhh. *wipes away white moustache*

I feel good now.

Yes, cheese is good, but what effect does this pacifying drug bit have on us? Why the HUGE push to market cheese and triger cravings and the huge increase in consumption per person?

I had some #ing awesome cheese over the weekend too.

Mmmmm, cheese.

Addicting though? Like food, oxygen and air? Some foods you do feel more compelled to scoff. Ah! Opiates in COWS! No wonder Hindus consider them holy, they get you HIGH!


[edit on 13-9-2004 by taibunsuu]

Originally posted by RedBalloon
My questions:
So what is all this doing to our collective a$$es?
How come the French, who eat more cheese than Americans, don't have such a problem?
Is the population not only fat, but pacified by all this cheese?
Do we feel some sort of motherly bond with McDonald's now?
Can it be that cheese just tastes damn good?
Are we so drugged up on caffiene, nicotiene and chocolate that we don't notice?
If we go off cheese, will there be a physical withdrawl effect?
Are Dairy Promotion Programs to blame for rampant obesity?
If skim milk has more opiates than whole, wouldn't it be more popular?

Pretty simple. It's not the cheese that makes us fat. It's not the fat that makes us fat.

It the MACARONI and cheese.
It's the deep-fried BREADED cheese.
It's the chili cheese FRIES.
It's the deep-dish cheese PIZZA with THICK CRUST.

It's the overly large quantities and the over-indulgence of higly-processed empty carbs such as white rice, white bread, white potatoes and white sugar.
It's eating way too much cheese, when a portion would be enough.

Yes, DontTreadOnMe, but why do we want the breaded cheese and macaroni and cheese in the first place? Its not a sudden craving for bread crumbs or macaroni noodles, its the CHEESE.

Nope, it's the carbs. It's the pasta.
In fact, many recovering alcoholics CRAVE carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes.
Haven't you ever seen the addict or drunk pouring teaspoons and teaspoons of SUGAR into a cup of coffee.

I'm not denying the effect cheese may have on our metabolism. But, I would think it would calm a person, but cause cravings.
Foods that cause spikes in our blood sugar have a bigger impact on what we crave.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Nope, it's the carbs. It's the pasta.
In fact, many recovering alcoholics CRAVE carbohydrates such as bread, rice and potatoes.
Haven't you ever seen the addict or drunk pouring teaspoons and teaspoons of SUGAR into a cup of coffee.

I'm not denying the effect cheese may have on our metabolism. But, I would think it would calm a person, but cause cravings.
Foods that cause spikes in our blood sugar have a bigger impact on what we crave.

Blood sugar spiking foods definitely have a huge effect, but careful about giving carbs a bad name They aren't bad in general- refined flour in SOME carbs, however, have such a high glycemic index that they cause huge problems for us. Whole grains are much better. There doesn't seem to be such a huge problem elsewhere in the world. Sugar itself isn't an evil, but when it replaces more nutrient dense foods in our diets and we eat so much that we add hundreds of extra calories, there is a problem.

But cheese isn't always with those refined carbs. Cheese is good on everything, and people seem to want cheese in particular. On veggies, slices, on meat, etc.

There aren't refined carb pushing organizations that work to saturate advertising with white bread and increase consumption by 100%.

[edit on 13-9-2004 by RedBalloon]

Yeah but everything in this country is cheese-covered to an amazing extent.

This is the richest country in the world and the peasants prefer / choose to eat cheese over just about everything else, despite this place having the widest variety of food.

Free choice is a strong indicator of what people go for.

Originally posted by RedBalloon
Sugar itself isn't an evil, but when it replaces more nutrient dense foods in our diets and we eat so much that we add hundreds of extra calories, there is a problem.

But cheese isn't always with those refined carbs. Cheese is good on everything, and people seem to want cheese in particular. On veggies, slices, on meat, etc.

There aren't refined carb pushing organizations that work to saturate advertising with white bread and increase consumption by 100%.

Take a stroll down your favorite stores cereal aisle. The numbe one ingredient is often sugar or high fructose CORN syrup (HFCS). I'd say sugar is being pushed, and geared toward a young audience.
Then, go down to the snack aisle, often across from the soft drink aisle: more HFCS, sugar, cron chips, potato chips, pretzels. Junk food being pushed.
On your way home, notice the COKE or PEPSI truck parked next to the high school. More sugar for our kids.

Cheese is far less evil or pushed on us.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Take a stroll down your favorite stores cereal aisle. The numbe one ingredient is often sugar or high fructose CORN syrup (HFCS). I'd say sugar is being pushed, and geared toward a young audience.
Then, go down to the snack aisle, often across from the soft drink aisle: more HFCS, sugar, cron chips, potato chips, pretzels. Junk food being pushed.
On your way home, notice the COKE or PEPSI truck parked next to the high school.

More sugar for our kids.

You're preaching to the choir here

I'm not denying that SUGAR is everywhere, but pastas and white bread aren't pushed in a federaly sponsored way. I'm not saying those things are healthy and desirable - I'm just wondering what's up with cheese in particular that people go nuts for in such a sudden and extreme way, and why there are groups set up to force cheese on us and make it a "required ingredient" in Subway subs.

What about CHEESECAKE!? Combination of the most addictive drugs in the land, CHEESE and SUGAR. Evil incarnation! Die, cheesecake, DIE!

ewww i hate almost every kind of cheese except the kinds on pizza. the smell is just disgusting i dont know how people eat that that junk. cheese just sucks imho lol. its hard finding foods without cheese these days and all fast food has that crap on it now. everything at taco bell and many other places have it on all the stuff and it irks me. people are like how can you eat a taco without cheese? oh well lol

Originally posted by taibunsuu
What about CHEESECAKE!? Combination of the most addictive drugs in the land, CHEESE and SUGAR. Evil incarnation! Die, cheesecake, DIE!

Put some chocolate on that slice and you're headed straight for rehab.

Thread idea: should prostitution be legal to support cheese addiction, and just how much cheese does George Bush eat?

Originally posted by RedBalloon
I'm just wondering what's up with cheese in particular that people go nuts for in such a sudden and extreme way, and why there are groups set up to force cheese on us and make it a "required ingredient" in Subway subs.

I guess I'm missing this onslaught of ads and such. I admit to seeing the "oh the glory of cheese" commercials. But they don't make me run in the kitchen to grab a hunk of cheese. More likely, I like the commercials cuteness. I guess I'm not your average consumer, no wait I KNOW I am not.

Originally posted by taibunsuu
What about CHEESECAKE!? Combination of the most addictive drugs in the land, CHEESE and SUGAR. Evil incarnation! Die, cheesecake, DIE!

How about my version: lower fat cream cheese and splenda substituted for the more evil stuff???
Anyway, a proper cheesecake should satisfy a person after even a regular slice.

Well - consider also that many cheeses are flavored with alcohols...I just picked up a wedge of Sweedish vodka currant chedder - it's made with absolut kurrant - awesome cheese! - And my first guess would be that the alcohol in it is not cooked off...Have that with a glass of wine and you'll be doing yourself a favor