Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Cheese Trap  By  cover art

The Cheese Trap

By: Neal D Barnard MD MD FACC, Marilu Henner - foreword
Narrated by: Joe Knezevich
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.49

Buy for $19.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Dr. Neal Barnard reveals the shocking truth about cheese - the dangerous addiction that is harming your health - and presents a radical program to lose weight and feel great.

We've been told that dairy does a body good, but the truth is that cheese can be dangerous. Loaded with calories, fat, and cholesterol, cheese can make you gain weight and leads to a host of health problems like high blood pressure and arthritis. Worse, it contains mild opiates that make it addictive, triggering the same brain receptors as heroin and morphine. In The Cheese Trap, Dr. Neal Barnard presents a comprehensive program to help listeners break free of their cheese addiction so they can lose weight, boost energy, and improve their overall health. This easy-to-follow diet features a treasury of healthy recipes that will tame even the toughest cravings - from pizza to lasagna to ice cream and cheesecake.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Neal D. Barnard (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Our love-affair with cheese is killing us. Learning the truth about cheese may save your life." (Joel Fuhrman, MD, New York Times best-selling author of The End of Heart Disease and The End of Diabetes, among others)
" The Cheese Trap busts open the myths of cheese as a health food and provides an eye opening, mouth shutting view of the way cheese is produced and does damage." (Joel Kahn, MD, clinical professor of medicine, and author of The Whole Heart Solution)
"This informative and entertaining book clearly and compellingly lays out the reasons why cheese should not be part of our diet. I highly recommend it!" (Ted D. Barnett, MD, medical director and CEO, Rochester Lifestyle Medicine)

What listeners say about The Cheese Trap

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    518
  • 4 Stars
    69
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    12
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    431
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    423
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    12

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I love cheese, but....

As a whole-food, plant-based cook and consumer, I know cheese is not the ideal food the Dairy Council would have us believe. This book really convinced me to give up the cheddar and gouda and parm and Colby. Dr. Barnard, esteemed physician, author, and founder of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), lays it on the line. Cheese is a dangerous food, and he hits all the right notes in his discussion. From the abominable conditions that dairy cows endure, to the unsanitary milk collection procedures, to the political wheeling and dealing, he explains the issues so that anyone can understand the bill of goods we've been sold. He also fully explains the health implications of dairy intake from the fats we consume, to the digestive issues, and the risk of life threatening diseases, including cancer. This is a MUST read if you are concerned about your health!
One major critique on his statements: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) which vilified the use of estrogen for post menopausal women was not truly explained. This study only used one form of hormone replacement therapy (conjugated equine estrogens with synthetic progestin), and did not implicate human-identical hormones in the rise of breast cancer. The American public was not fully informed of this study!
And a note about the narrator: He needs a course on medical pronunciation! Not only did he repeatedly mispronounce "laparoscopy" but named a certain hormone as "IGF-I" when it is "IGH-1" (one, not capital I). This did decrease my enjoyment of the book. I'm surprised Dr. Barnard didn't catch these errors.
But overall, this is a great book, filled with information. I'm a Wisconsin girl, so I always say that cheese is on my DNA, but after reading this, I really don't want to consume it any longer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Revealing the truth about what cheese does to us

Would you consider the audio edition of The Cheese Trap to be better than the print version?

Yes, there's is a downloadable PDF of the recipes so that can be printed.

What did you like best about this story?

The audiobook features many stories of people and it helped the reader identify with their situations.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book revealed some things about the dairy industry that I did not know about. The audiobook was insightful and eye-opening.

Any additional comments?

There's an audible.com review out there labeling the audiobook as being vegan propaganda which is an absurd statement and simply not true. Using those words is only going to make people fearful. Perhaps learning how your cheese is made might be scary, but there's nothing scary about the audiobook. Cheese is loved by many which might make this audiobook unpopular to many. But if you want to know what is really going on with cheese and want to learn how to be healthier without it then you have to listen to it!

The audiobook advocates that when someone stops consuming the amount of cheese that is consumed today by average americans, they become much healthier. And when not consuming cheese at all, it reduces your risk of chronic disease and other health issues.

In this audiobook we learn that cheese is addictive and hard to let go. In my experience, removing cheese from your diet is often the final step when switching to a whole foods plant-based diet. And that's why naturally, a vegan diet comes up in this audiobook.

The audiobook presents some anecdotal evidence in the form of real life stories which is necessary to helping readers connect with people going through similar situations as a result their diet. There's enough hard evidence already in the audiobook. But this audiobook is only part of the whole idea. I recommend other books and documentaries on whole foods plant-based nutrition to learn more evidence.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Vegan Propaganda

Apparently the animal based diet that everyone ate before the obesity and T2D epidemic causes all the worlds ills based on cherry-picked data and anecdotes in this book. By all means ditch dairy and see if it helps, but also consider the ketogenic and paleo diets which are excellent and healthful in my experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Get your facts straight!

It's annoying that he promotes the calories in, calories out hypothesis. There is no research to support this - it shows the opposite! Also annoying that he blames saturated fat to high cholesterol/heart disease and insulin resistance. This is wrong! It's sugar and vegetable oils that cause this. Ask any lipidologist!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simple and helpful

Good information with sources cited. A down to earth view for those thinking of going dairy free or Vegan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Very pro-vegan book

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Vegans who want to tell other people why you should be vegan.

What could Neal D Barnard and Marilu Henner - foreword have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This book is not just about the 'dangers' of cheese- it's a very pro-vegan book with little science behind it. Many anecdotes are provided about people who were very sick and were miraculously cured by going vegan. At the end of every anecdote the authors talk about how there's little to no studies about the effect of a vegan diet on diabetes/ infertility/cancer but really, it still cures all that! There's very few studies in the book- which is frustrating because I do believe that eating less cheese is good for you but this book did not proveup that fact.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The last push I needed to say goodbye to cheese

This book is just simply terrific! Though vegan for two years, I have been struggling with cheese cravings and this is just what the doctor ordered. It gives the down low of what cheese is, how it's made, what it does your body and the awful environmental and animal treatment that results from the consumption of cheese. Not to mention the recipes definitely look worth trying. Would definitely recommend to anyone who needs the push to say goodbye to cheese!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Wow what a bait and switch

Any additional comments?

This book starts off good but then turns into a PETA infomercial. It leads you to believe that if you just give up cheese you can lose weight and cure all your illnesses, however, it's really about being a Vegan.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What everyone needs to know

Neal Barnard is a leading authority on nutrition and health. Cheese should not be eaten if you want health. Read this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Interesting Point of View

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The focus on fat being bad and advocating a low-fat and plant-based diet is a bit annoying. I don't personally agree with this as being the healthy lifestyle. Though, dairy is a problem for me and ditching it has improved my well being. I am a low-carb affectionate and on the keto side of lifestyles, but when I eat dairy I am in a brain fog, which I usually link to sugar. I was thinking what I was doing wrong ... turns out - DAIRY was the answer.

What three words best describe Joe Knezevich’s performance?

Trying to implicate DAIRY to all dietary problems

Was The Cheese Trap worth the listening time?

Yes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful