Your favorite food has health benefits. Healthy cheese cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon sound like an oxymoron, but the dairy boasts some health benefits that might surprise you. Cheese packs in healthy nutrients, many of which you may not get enough of — like calcium and vitamin B12.

But this isn’t a license to gorge. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests keeping a serving of cheese to 1. 5 ounces, which is about the size of four dice. Cottage cheese is very versatile: Eat it plain, top with fruit or use in cooking. Cottage cheese tops the list because of its high protein content. In fact, half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese contains 14 grams of the muscle-building macro. Since casein is digested more slowly than whey, that’s likely why cottage cheese showed the largest reduction in blood sugar levels.

You may find quark with the yogurts, but it’s technically a cheese. Quark may be something you’ve recently seen in the yogurt aisle, but it’s actually a soft fermented cheese that’s common in European countries. It’s also known for its high protein and low lactose content. National Library of Medicine recommends quark as a low-lactose option for those with lactose intolerance. You can substitute quark for sour cream for a higher-protein alternative or serve it with fresh fruit.