Doctor: Americans Suffer From Unhealthy Addiction To Cheese

DETROIT (WWJ) - Would you like to lose weight, have more energy, better health? Then stop eating cheese.

That's according to Dr. Neal Barnard, who's down on dairy.

Barnard says while Americans seem to have a love affair with cheese, it's more of an unhealthy addiction. He makes his case in his book "The Cheese Trap."

"I think it's addicting; and I don't use the addicting word lightly," he told WWJ's  Dr. Deanna Lites. "There are actually opiate chemicals in it that attach to the very same brain receptors as other opiates, and I'm going to argue that it's probably the biggest reason that we're seeing kids gain weight these days."

Barnard say that while we've been told that dairy does a body good, the truth is that cheese can be dangerous. Loaded with calories, fat and cholesterol, he says cheese can make you gain weight and lead to a host of health problems like high blood pressure and arthritis.

In "The Cheese Trap," Barnard presents a plant-based diet program along with recipes and tips he claims will help you fight cravings for everything from pizza to ice cream to cheesecake and break free from your addiction to cheese.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes 35 pounds of cheese a year.