NUTRITION
Why Cottage Cheese Is Super Healthy and Nutritious
Written by Arlene Semeco, MS, RD on October 25, 2019
What it is
Nutrition
Production
Weight loss
Muscle gain
Other benefits
Ways to eat it
Potential digestive issues
Bottom line
Cottage cheese is a low calorie cheese with a mild flavor.
Its popularity has grown in the last few decades, and it's often recommended as part of a healthy diet.
Cottage cheese is not only high in protein but also essential nutrients.
For these reasons, it's widely used by athletes and in weight loss plans.
This article explains why cottage cheese is so good for you and includes ways to incorporate it into your diet.
What is cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is soft, white, and creamy. It's considered a fresh cheese, so it does not undergo an aging or ripening process to develop flavor.
As a result, it has a very mild flavor compared with aged cheeses.
Cottage cheese is made from the curds of various levels of pasteurized cow's milk, including non-fat, reduced fat, or regular milk.
It's also offered in different curd sizes, usually small, medium, or large.
Moreover, it's available in creamed, whipped, lactose-free, reduced sodium, or sodium-free varieties.
You can enjoy this versatile cheese by itself or as an ingredient in recipes.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is a soft, white cheese with a mild flavor. It’s a fresh cheese offered with different milk fat levels and curd sizes.
Cottage cheese is packed with nutrients
The nutritional profile of cottage cheese varies depending on the level of milk fat used and amount of sodium added.
One cup (226 grams) of low fat (1% milk fat) cottage cheese provides the following (1):
Calories: 163
Protein: 28 grams
Carbs: 6.2 grams
Fat: 2.3 grams
Phosphorus: 24% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
Sodium: 30% of the RDI
Selenium: 37% of the RDI
Vitamin B12: 59% of the RDI
Riboflavin: 29% of the RDI
Calcium: 11% of the RDI
Folate: 7% of the RDI
It also has decent amounts of vitamin B6, choline, zinc, and copper.
The carb content of cottage cheese is around 3%. It consists of lactose, a milk sugar to which some people are intolerant.
Notably, protein accounts for over 70% of the calories in cottage cheese.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein and contains relatively few calories. It’s also packed with many nutrients, such as B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and selenium.
How cottage cheese is made
Making cottage cheese is a simple process. You can even make it at home.
The process starts with curdling milk. This is done by adding an acidic substance, such as lime juice or vinegar, to warm milk.
When the acidity of the milk increases, curds of casein protein separate from the whey, the liquid part of the milk.
Once the curd has solidified, it's cut into pieces and cooked until more moisture is released. It’s then washed to remove the acidity and drained to remove the moisture.
The result is a sweeter curd that can be easily crumbled. Finally, ingredients can be added to flavor the finished product, including cream, salt, herbs, and spices.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is made by adding an acid to milk, which causes the milk to curdle. Then, the curd is drained and crumbled to make the final product.
Cottage cheese can help you lose weight
Weight loss diets often include cottage cheese.
This is partly because of its high protein and low calorie content.
One study followed people who maintained a diet that included high-protein foods like cottage cheese for one year.
It showed that the diet helped decrease body weight by an average of 6.2 pounds (2.8 kg) in women and 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg) in men (2Trusted Source).
Moreover, high intakes of protein, such as the casein in cottage cheese, have been shown to help increase feelings of fullness (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
In fact, cottage cheese seems to stimulate feelings of fullness to a similar extent as eggs.
These feelings of fullness can lead to reduced calorie intake and weight loss (4Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Also, cottage cheese offers good amounts of calcium.
Studies have linked calcium and other components of dairy to reduced weight and easier weight maintenance, especially when combined with exercise (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
Furthermore, dietary calcium has been associated with metabolic processes that reduce fat accumulation and accelerate fat loss (9Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is high in protein and calcium, both of which have been associated with weight loss.
Cottage cheese and muscle gain
Cottage cheese is popular among athletes and people who exercise.
Because of its high protein content, it's a great food to incorporate into your diet if you're looking to build muscle mass.
When combined with resistance training, a diet including high-protein foods can help you increase muscle mass (7Trusted Source).
Also, the proteins in cottage cheese are particularly effective at helping you build muscle.
Casein accounts for 80% of its protein content and is slowly absorbed. It's just as effective as whey protein at building muscle — and even better at inhibiting muscle breakdown due to its slower absorption (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Casein also promotes the prolonged absorption of amino acids, which has been linked to increased muscle building capacity (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
Many bodybuilders like to eat cottage cheese before bed. This leads to a sustained release of amino acids into the blood and muscles during the night, which may reduce muscle breakdown.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is packed with casein protein. Casein is slowly absorbed, promotes muscle gain, and helps prevent muscle breakdown.
Other Benefits of Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese has also been associated with other health benefits.
May help prevent insulin resistance
Insulin resistance can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
However, the calcium in dairy products is believed to reduce insulin resistance (8Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
In fact, one study suggested that eating dairy products may lower the risk of insulin resistance by 21% (17Trusted Source).
Can promote bone strength
In addition to calcium, cottage cheese is a good source of phosphorus and protein. These nutrients have consistently been linked to improved bone health (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).
High in selenium
A 1-cup (226-gram) serving of cottage cheese offers 37% of the RDI for selenium. This mineral has been shown to increase antioxidant protection in the blood (1, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese can help reduce the risk of developing insulin resistance and heart disease. It can also help improve bone health and provide antioxidant protection.
How to incorporate cottage cheese into your diet
Cottage cheese's mild flavor and soft texture make it easy to include in your meals and recipes.
Here are some creative ways to eat cottage cheese:
Pancakes or waffles. Mix it into the batter as a substitute for milk.
Salads. Add it to your favorite salads for extra protein.
Fruit. Mix it with fruits like berries, sliced bananas, peach slices, mandarin wedges, and melon chunks.
Granola. Top it with granola and drizzle with honey.
Sour cream substitute. It works well as a sour cream substitution.
Dipping sauces. Mix it into dipping sauces as a substitute for milk.
Smoothies. Blend it with some milk and fruits for a fruit smoothie.
Toast. It makes a creamy, protein-rich spread.
Baked goods. Bake it into muffins, cakes, bread, or dinner rolls.
Mayo substitute. Spread it on sandwiches or use it in recipes.
Scrambled eggs. It'll give your eggs an extra creamy texture.
Lasagna. Use it as a substitute for ricotta cheese.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese is a versatile ingredient that you can incorporate into many different meals and recipes.
It can cause problems for people who are intolerant to dairy
Cottage cheese is a dairy product, which can cause problems for some people.
Lactose intolerance
The lactose content of cheese decreases as cheese ages.
Because cottage cheese is a fresh, unripened cheese, it contains more lactose than aged cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar, or Swiss.
Moreover, cottage cheese may contain even more lactose if additional milk is added to the curd.
For these reasons, cottage cheese is not a good choice if you're lactose intolerant.
When people with lactose intolerance eat cottage cheese, they may experience digestive problems, such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
Dairy allergy
In addition to lactose, cottage cheese contains casein and whey, two types of protein in cow’s milk to which some people are allergic.
If you have experienced an allergic reaction to any dairy product, you may not be able to tolerate cottage cheese.
SUMMARY
Cottage cheese can cause digestive problems if you are lactose intolerant. It can also cause allergic reactions in those who are allergic to dairy or milk proteins.
The bottom line
Cottage cheese is a curd cheese with a mild flavor and smooth texture.
It's high in many nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, and minerals like calcium, selenium, and phosphorus.
If you're looking to lose weight or build muscle, cottage cheese is among the most beneficial foods you can eat.
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