Babybel Cheese Nutrition

The Bel Group in France first marketed Mini Babybel cheese in 1977. According to Babybel's website, almost a third of Babybel's products have been sold internationally since 1988. Each serving is sealed inside red wax to maintain freshness. The website Brand Power describes it as soft in texture and mild.

Each serving of Babybel is sealed inside red wax to maintain freshness. (Image: -lvinst-/iStock/Getty Images)

Variations

There are five different varieties of Babybel cheese, according to its website: Original, Bonbel, Cheddar, Gouda and Light. Nutrition varies, but only marginally, between each one.

Content

Babybel is 98 percent milk and 100 percent natural cheese. Each serving also includes some vegetarian rennet. Each wax-sealed serving contains 70 calories. It's a source of vitamin A, ranging from 2 percent of your daily value on a 2,000 calorie a day diet for the Light version to 10 percent in the Cheddar. It is also an excellent source of calcium. According to Brand Power, Babybel has no added preservatives, coloring or flavors.

Significance

Calcium builds strong bones and Babybel's products range from 10 percent of your daily quota for the Gouda cheese to 19 percent in its Light version. Teenagers need 1,200 mg of calcium or four milk products daily, according to Babybel's website, so this cheese snack gets them a quarter of the way there. The vitamin A content is good for vision.

Advantages

If you are on a low carb diet, Babybel is an ideal snack because none of the versions have any carbohydrates. If your goal is to add something healthier than pretzels or cookies to your child's lunch box, Babybel is the epitome of convenience, already wrapped and sealed in its own wax and plastic covering.

Warning

Unfortunately, 45 of the 70 calories per serving in Babybel's mild cheddar version come from fat. Saturated fat makes up 3 g of that serving for 15 percent of your daily value if you consume 2,000 calories a day. That's a lot for what amounts to a few bites of snack. It is also high in cholesterol with 20 mg for 7 percent of the 300 mg you should limit yourself to each day on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Sodium content is 140 mg or 6 percent of your daily quota for a healthy diet.