The Good

Ok before you stop reading this blog about cottage cheese you have to take a look at some of the facts. Many of us cringe at the thought of cottage cheese, and gag upon seeing the curds of this type of cheese.  Regardless of how it looks or smells, cottage cheese gets a really bad rap, considering the many health benefits it contains.

First, cottage cheese is low fat and is the perfect anytime snack. It’s low in carbs and high in protein. In terms of calories and fat, it’s one of the lowest fat dairy or cheese products you can eat. And because it’s high in protein, it’s an ideal food for people who are trying to add muscle and minimize body fat. Cottage cheese is also quite convenient, you can buy it at any grocery store and I almost always see single serving containers in delis. I’m not asking you to scarf it down plain, it goes great with most fruit, especially strawberries, blueberries and pineapple. It’s light and also very filling and can be used as a low fat substitute for things like smoothies and even the ricotta cheese in lasagna.

You can usually find a container in my fridge and its my lunch at least 2 weeks out of each month. I promise its not as bad as it sounds. Give it an honest try!

Below is the nutritional profile.

Low-fat cottage cheese is nutritionally dense ounce-for-ounce.

A typical half-cup of cottage cheese (113 grams) has:

• 80 calories
• 1 gram of fat
• 0.5 grams of saturated fat
• 10 mg of cholesterol
• 380 mg of sodium
• 130 mg of potassium
• 7 grams of carbs
• 3 grams of sugar
• 12 grams of protein.

It also provides about 10% of your daily calcium requirements.