Given cheese's long history, not to mention all its wonderful and varied flavors, it's hard to understand why so many people think cheese is something to avoid. Throughout history, as other foods became scarce, people needed and wanted the protein, fat, calories, and vitamins of a good cheese. Today the difference is not the cheese, it's in people's easy access to all sorts of other high-calorie proteins and fats. But with the right information, even the most nutritionally conscientious can always choose cheese!