The fusion of traditional food with the modern taste is getting more popular these days. Many kinds of traditional foods are upgraded into modern food by adding the modern fixture such as taste, packaging, and marketing. One of the traditional foods which are modified and getting more popular today is cheese puto.
Puto is a traditional food from Philippine. It looks like a cupcake, yet it is steamed and made of rice flour. The main ingredients to make puto used to be flour, egg, and sugar. But today, we can find any kind of puto with such a yummy and pretty topping such as chocolate, colorful sprinkle, and cheese. Well, cheese is really a good company this kind of traditional food to be more modern. Cheese Puto offers a combination between sweet and delicate cake-like puto, creamy coconut milk, and the milky cheese. However, what do you get from a single serving of cheese puto? We can check the nutrition fact of cheese puto down below.
Nutrition fact of cheese puto
According to My Fitness Pal, this modification version of puto may give you benefits for health. The nutrition contained in one piece of homemade cheese puto are:
- Calories 120
- Total fat 6 grams
- Saturated fat 3 grams
- Monounsaturated fat 2 grams
- Cholesterol 27 mg
- Sodium 88 mg
- Potassium 29 mg
- Total carbohydrate 9 grams
- Sugars 3 grams
- Protein 2 grams
- Vitamin A 3%
- Calcium 5%
- Iron 2%
The nutrition values are attributes by the ingredients of cheese puto which are:
- Rice flour
- Salt
- Coconut milk
- White sugar
- Cheddar cheese
- Baking powder
The ingredients are mixed together, and then steamed using muffin pans. It is usually served fresh from the steamer. In addition, besides of the nutrition value of this delicious steamed rice cake, it considered to be a healthy snack just like the Health Benefits of Rice Cakes .
Here are the health benefits of puto cheese:
- Low cholesterol
From the nutrition fact, we are able to notice that the cholesterol in cheese puto is low. The health benefits of this type of cake are also contributed by the use of coconut milk, as Benefits of Coconut Milk for Health. The cholesterol attributes by coconut milk is only 27 mg, moreover, puto is steamed and doesn’t require much cooking oil or butter during the cooking process.
The oil and butter is the main contributor of high level of cholesterol during the cooking process. Therefore, puto has a less cholesterol compared to the other kind of snack like burger, cake, doughnut, and muffin. In addition, the dietary fiber in rice flour is also able to maintain the normal cholesterol level.
- Gives more energy
Rice flour as the main ingredients of puto cheese is able to instantly convert the food into energy. Puto supplies us with sufficient energy as soon as we eat it. Sugar also contributes to the process of transforming food into energy. Here are the Benefits of Sugar for Health . Since puto only use light sugar, it gives the benefit of sugar without its side effect.
- High protein
Protein in puto consists of vegetable protein from the rice flour and the dairy protein from the cheese. Those proteins are the complete nutrition need by our body. Protein attributes to the fast cell regeneration. Therefore, the damaged cell in our body will be quickly change into the new one and keep our body healthy.
- Provides sufficient mineral.
Cheese puto contains healthy mineral which are beneficial for health such as potassium and iron. Potassium is able to regulate the metabolism system. It attributes to the good nutrition absorbing. Further, iron and potassium are able to strengthen muscle, including the heart muscle.
- Good for digestive system
Puto is very friendly to our digestive system. The rice flour of puto contains dietary fiber which maintains normal bowel system. Therefore, the waste removal process is going to be good.
- Lose weight
As the dietary fiber of rice flour help the digestion process to instantly absorb nutrient and remove waste, it is also beneficial to lose weight. Fiber will keep our stomach full little longer and reduce our craving for foods.
- Avoid colon disease
The rice flour with its dietary fiber is also incredible to prevent colon disease. Dietary fiber as antioxidant actively fights the free radical which inhibits the nutrient absorption in colon. Besides keeping the good work of colon, antioxidant will also protect the colon from any disease.
- Avoid diverticular disease
Diverticular disease is the condition when the diverticulum of colon is clogged by the dried feces. It is usually caused by indigestion and the lack of dietary fiber intake. Therefore, consuming cheese puto as a healthy snack will give you benefit to maintain your digestive system.
- Slower aging
As mentioned before, fiber within puto is very beneficial. Despite the beneficial for our health, it is also able to slower aging. How come? Well, rice four is able to act as antioxidant which fights free radical as the main contributor to aging. Therefore, it is able to maintain the healthy organ, and keep the skin from wrinkle and other sign of aging.
- Prevent cancer
Fiber is good to fight free radicals which attributes to the cancer disease. Besides fiber, Vitamin A is also able to act as antioxidant to fight cancer cell formation. Based on the nutrition value, we know that cheese puto contains sufficient vitamin A in every single serving. Â Boosting antioxidant level will never be a bad idea, and eating more healthy food including puto cheese is a win solution for it.
- Safe for gluten intolerance
Some people can really eat something made of wheat like bread and cake. It is caused by the high intolerance toward gluten contained in any wheat product. The gluten intolerance tend to deny gluten intake and show some lack of acceptance signs such as allergic.
As the alternative to this problem, we can substitute the wheat flour with the other flour such as rice flour. Therefore, instead of consuming bread or cake, puto is much more recommended, since puto doesn’t tend to be gluten free.
- Supplies calcium
Cheese for puto is not merely a tasty topping. It also gives benefits for health. We know that cheese is the big calcium contributor. In the other words, we can say that cheese puto is very good for our need of calcium. Calcium itself will actively help to strengthen bone. It is very good for children in their development and growth stage. Calcium will also protect adults from osteoporosis by keeping the strong bones.
- Avoid tooth decay
Besides beneficial for bones, calcium is also good for teeth. It will help to strengthen teeth. Besides, cheese within puto will also help to increase pH in our mouth. The high level of pH will keep away bacteria from our mouth. Therefore, we will have a healthy mouth. And the most important, it will lower the risk of tooth decay since the bacteria cannot live in the high pH mouth. Indeed, there are many health benefits of puto cheese.
- Boost immune system
Cheese Puto usually uses cheddar for its topping. Any kinds of cheese like cheddar, mozarella, and parmesan are naturally preserved. It makes cheese contains many benefits such as contained in Health Benefits of Eating Parmesan Cheese. It employs the beneficial bacteria or probiotics to change the milk into a good cheese.
Besides the benefits for the process of cheese making, probiotics in cheese is also beneficial for human body. When we consume cheese, the probiotic will stay in our body and helps to fight disease. This is how cheese is able to improve our immune system.
- Improve intelligence
Cheese topped puto will also fulfill our need of dairy product. The dairy product supplies our brain with its beneficial nutrients. Therefore, it helps us a lot to be more concentrate, and even able to improve our intelligent.
A study found that the regular consumption of dairy product such milk and cheese of a group of children is able to improve their cognitive skill compared to those who didn’t regularly take any dairy product. Isn’t it clear that cheese puto is not only tasty but also healthy?
Cautions of cheese puto intake
We may consider cheese puto with many health benefits of puto cheese, yet we still need to limit the intake. The amount of carbohydrate in cheese puto is not good to those with diabetes. Glucose of the rice flour and the white sugar addition will definitely raise the blood sugar. It will be different if we use the other natural sweetener as the substitute of the white sugar.
The natural sweetener such as corn sugar and stevia leaves may be saver for diabetics. Besides, the fat contained in coconut milk and cheese will not good for those with heart disease. In addition, cheese puto is known to have high level of sodium from the cheese. Sodium will raise the blood pressure which will also affect the heart activity. As cited from Effects of High Sodium Level , it may harm people with coronary heart. Therefore, nutritionists suggest consuming no more than two pieces of this steamed rice cake in one serving.