Manchego cheese also slightly beats out salmon in the protein column, but an ounce of cooked chicken breast provides 9 grams of protein. Of course, you’ll have to consider serving size. An ounce of meat, chicken, or fish might seem miniscule because you might typically eat between 4 and 6 ounces of those protein sources. Eating 6 ounces of Manchego will put some serious calories on your daily tally with a total of 780 calories. Manchego cheese also has 4 times the fat of steak and 12 times more fat than chicken. Most of the fat in Manchego cheese comes from saturated fat which can increase your LDL cholesterol.
Manchego cheese provides nutrients that are lacking in meat, chicken, or fish. You won’t find calcium in meat, chicken, or fish, but Manchego cheese offers 200 milligrams of calcium in just an ounce. Don’t turn to Manchego cheese if you’re trying to watch your sodium, however. Manchego cheese has 10 times more sodium than these other protein sources.