Serve cottage cheese with fruits or vegetables. Photo Credit Марина Пестерева/iStock/Getty Images
People either love or hate the creamy, lumpy texture of cottage cheese. If you're a fan, good news: Cottage cheese is bona fide health food as long as you opt for nonfat varieties. Top cottage cheese with peaches, berries or cherry tomatoes for a fresh, simple snack packed with nutrients.
With only 104 calories per 1-cup serving, cottage cheese is a remarkable, low-calorie source of a substantial 15 grams of protein. Eat a cup for breakfast and you'll stay full until your lunch hour.
Cottage cheese contains a long list of vitamins and minerals that includes phosphorous, potassium, folate, vitamin A and zinc. Perhaps the most important nutrient is calcium -- a mineral necessary for muscle function, nerve impulse transmission, cell-to-cell signaling, vascular function and hormonal secretion. Calcium also plays a critical role in bone and tooth function and structure. One cup of cottage cheese contains 125 milligrams of this important mineral.
Cottage cheese does have one unhealthy ingredient -- salt. A 1-cup serving packs a whopping 539 milligrams of sodium -- a significant percentage of the American Heart Association recommendation of 1,500 milligrams per day. Limit cottage cheese if you are on a low-sodium diet.
Cottage cheese is a source of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals.
While most cheese hardly has a reputation as a diet food, cottage cheese has long been a staple in many health conscious diets. Available in several varieties -- low fat, low sodium or mixed with fruit -- cottage cheese is versatile in the kitchen and can be consumed on its own or added to sweet or savory recipes. Cottage cheese is healthy to eat as part of a balanced diet, and provides a source of several essential nutrients.
Protein Content
One of the benefits of eating cottage cheese is its protein content. Every tissue and cell in your body contains protein, and needs to produce new protein molecules each day to grow and function. Cottage cheese provides amino acids, which your body can use to make these new proteins. It is also a source of complete protein, which means that it provides all the amino acids your body needs to function but cannot synthesize itself. Consuming complete protein sources like cottage cheese helps reduce your risk of an amino acid deficiency, which can impact your cells’ ability to make the proteins it needs to survive. Each cup of large-curd cottage cheese contains around 23 grams of protein, while an equivalent serving of small-curd cottage cheese contains approximately 25 grams.
Fat Content
Cottage cheese also serves as a source of healthy fatty acids and might prove especially beneficial to individuals with diabetes. Dairy products contain the unsaturated fatty acid trans-palmitoleic acid, which is associated with reduced diabetes risk. According to Harvard University, individuals with high levels of trans-palmitoleic acid in their bloodstream from consuming dairy products are approximately three times less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to people with low levels of the fatty acid. The recommended intake of trans-palmitoleic acid and the levels of this fatty acid in different types of cottage cheese have yet to be established as of April 2012, but consuming cottage cheese that contains dairy fat might offer some assistance in preventing diabetes. However, since full-fat or part-skim cottage cheese also contains harmful saturated fat, you should still consume the cheese in moderation.
Vitamins and Minerals
Like many other dairy products, cottage cheese contains calcium and phosphorus that contribute to the health of your bones. Its calcium content also aids in nerve and muscle functioning. Cottage cheese provides a source of vitamin A -- important for the growth and development of your cells, including cells involved in maintaining the health of your immune system and skin -- as well as B vitamins that help your body break down and obtain energy from the foods you eat. Cottage cheese also contains sodium, important in helping to regulate your blood pressure. While some salt proves beneficial to your health, a cup of soft curd cottage cheese can contain over 800 milligrams of sodium -- two-thirds of the daily recommended intake for some adults, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. If you’re looking to restrict your sodium intake, select low-sodium varieties of cottage cheese and eat the cheese in moderation.
Cottage Cheese and Weight Loss
Cottage cheese can be a healthy part of weight loss plan. Despite its rich taste and texture, cottage cheese is low in calories relative to other types of cheese; 100 grams of cottage cheese contains 98 calories, compared to 403 calories in 100 grams of cheddar cheese. In addition to eating cottage cheese on its own, consider substituting cottage cheese in place of other cheeses in your meals; for example, use a mixture of cottage cheese and spinach in lasagne, or mix cottage cheese with tuna to add cheesy flavor to a tuna melt. Substituting low-calorie foods like cottage cheese in place of high-calorie foods helps you lower your caloric intake, helping you create the caloric deficit required for weight loss.
