The Dutch countryside is dotted with beautiful brown cows grazing on lush green pasture.  Many cheeses popular in the US are imported from Holland, including Edam and Gouda.  Holland is the largest exporter of cheese in the world.  Its dairy industry as a whole has a turnover of around 7 billion euros – at today’s exchange rate, more than $8 billion – not bad for a country about  twice the size of New Jersey.

Cheese is a good natural source of vitamin K2, and Dr. Cees Vermeer (a biochemist from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and one of the top vitamin K2 researchers in the world) believes that cheese consumption is one reason why the Dutch have a relatively low level of cardiovascular disease.  When I spent time in the Netherlands, I was surprised to be served both cheese and chocolate for breakfast!  I have to confess, I enjoyed every bite.

Do you ever incorporate K2-rich cheese into your breakfast?