Cottage cheese is an insider tip for many, while others avoid or overlook it. We'll show you that cottage cheese has many benefits for your diet.
What is cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese has many names: Grainy Cream Cheese, Cottage Cream Cheese, or Crumb Curd. But the contents are identical. Cream cheese is made from skim milk that is heated to 85 degrees and thickened with lactic acid bacteria and an enzyme mixture. This procedure produces a grainy mix that is made into cottage cheese. A little cream and salt refine the taste of the cheese.
But why do we call the grainy cream cheese cottage cheese? It's because the English used to make it in cottages in rural areas and it got the name "cottage cheese".
Cottage cheese: unbeatable nutritional values
Cottage cheese contains little fat, and few carbohydrates, and therefore, what a surprise, hardly any calories. For every 100 grams, there are 11 grams of protein and a total of 102 calories. This makes cottage cheese perfect for a healthy diet and can also be eaten quickly as a snack.
- Calories: 102 kcal
- Protein: 11.1 grams
- Carbohydrates: 3.3 grams
- Fat: 4.3 grams
How cottage cheese helps you lose weight
There are many good reasons to include cottage cheese in your diet if you want to lose weight:
Protein: Cottage cheese is perfect as a food for a high-protein diet. Protein is important for breaking down fat and building muscle, as muscle is largely made up of protein. Even if you don't have the goal of building more muscle, protein will help you burn fat.
Calories: Since cottage cheese only contains about 100 calories per 100 grams, you can eat your fill without blowing your daily balance.
Calcium: Granular cream cheese contains 100 mg of calcium per 100 grams. This vital substance is not only important for our bones and teeth, but also for our metabolism. If you consume 1000 mg of it a day, you additionally boost your metabolism and thus increase fat burning. Milk and yogurt are also good sources of calcium.
All advantages of cottage cheese at a glance
- Few calories
- Low in fat and carbohydrates
- Boosts fat burning
- Easy to digest
- Calcium strengthens bones and teeth
- Magnesium is good for the nerves
Recipes with cottage cheese: How it tastes best
Granular cream cheese has a taste that many have to get used to at first. This is because it tastes rather sour. After all, it is made with milk. However, there are differences: variants with more fat have a stronger flavor so that the cream cheese comes across as almost creamy. With low-fat products, however, in addition to the calories saved, you have the advantage that you can change the rather neutral taste to something sweet or savory. This is how cottage cheese tastes best:
On bread: When you're in a hurry, cottage cheese makes a wonderful snack on bread. You can add salt and pepper, herbs such as chives, or cucumbers and tomatoes to create delicious flavor variations. You can also spice up the snack with mozzarella or balsamic vinegar.
As a dessert: Cottage cheese can also be eaten as a sweet version. It tastes great with cinnamon alone. You can also use maple syrup or fruit puree as a delicious flavor enhancer.
On pizza: Yes, grainy cream cheese also makes a great pizza topping. It's best to prepare a whole wheat crust and then top it with veggies and cottage cheese.