NEW ORLEANS, LA (WGNO) — You may be surprised at some of its health benefits and just might consider adding it to your diet, but not all cottage cheese is created equally!
Top benefits of cottage cheese:
• top source of casein: a slow-digested protein that helps maximize lean muscle
• high in protein: one cup has 25 grams high-quality protein – equal to ~3 ½ ounces of lean meat
• electrolyte-rich: just half a cup has more than 3x electrolyte content of sports drink
• versatile: pair it with sweet or savory; use it for dips, smoothies, even chicken salad
• low lactose: only 3.4 grams per one-cup serving, compared to 12+ grams lactose in a cup of milk
Love it!
Clean, simple ingredients: cultured skim milk, cream, salt
Daisy Cottage Cheese, 2%
per half-cup: 90 calories – 350 mg sodium – 4 grams carbs – 4 grams sugar – 13 grams protein
Nancy’s Cultured Cottage Cheese, lowfat
per half-cup: 80 calories – 304 mg sodium m- 3 grams carb – 3 grams sugar – 14 grams protein
Like it!
Most brands of cottage cheese, even many at natural foods stores, fall into the ‘like it’ category, with ingredients like modified food starch, potato starch, gums and other stabilizers, even artificial colors.
Organic Valley Lowfat Cottage Cheese
• per half-cup: 100 calories, 450 mg sodium, 4 grams carb, 3 gram sugar, 15 grams protein
• ingredients include organic cultured skim milk, organic cream, salt, guar gum, locust bean gum…
Breakstone’s 2% Cottage Cheese Cups
• per carton: 80 calories – 370 mg sodium – 8 grams carbs – 3 grams sugar – 10 grams protein
• ingredients include skim milk, cream, whey, inulin, modified food starch, salt, xanthan gum, guar gum…
• more carb & less protein than other brands
Lactaid 1% Cottage Cheese
• per half-cup: 80 calories, 380 mg sodium, 7 grams carb, 3 grams sugar, 12 grams protein
• ingredients include skim milk, maltodextrin, corn starch, salt, lactase enzyme, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum…
• 2x carbs as the ‘love it’ options
Hate it!
Breakstone’s Cottage Doubles
• per serving: 100 calories – 290 mg sodium – 12 grams carbs – 10 grams sugar – 7 grams protein
• ingredients include skim milk, cream, whey, modified food starch, salt, xanthan gum, guar gum + blueberry topping (blueberries, sugar, modified food starch)
• ~50% more sugar than protein.