7 Best American Cheese Slices Made With Real Cheese

American cheese gets a bad reputation, but why? “American cheese is a processed cheese product made from real cheese blended with emulsifiers to create a smooth, meltable texture,” explains Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian and co-author of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies. To legally be called ‘cheese,’ a product must meet FDA standards for traditional cheese-making. “American cheese falls into a regulated category called ‘pasteurized process cheese,’ which modifies natural cheese for texture and performance,” she adds. It is typically made by blending one or more real cheeses, “often cheddar or Colby,” milk or whey, emulsifying salts, and “sometimes additional ingredients for texture and meltability,” she says. A lot of American cheese is considered a “cheese product” because the structure is altered by emulsifying salts, re-blending, and additional dairy ingredients. What are the best American cheese options? Here are the 7 best American chees...