A World War I propaganda poster circulated urging Americans to “Eat more cottage cheese, and you’ll need less meat.” What was his story?
According to the Food Historian website, World War I saw a surplus of dairy products, especially in 1918 as dairy farmers struggled for better prices for liquid milk as cheese and milk stores overflowed and feed and labor prices rose.
Cottage cheese has been promoted as a meat substitute to kill two birds with one stone, drain the excess dairy and eat less meat. Cottage cheese was also promoted as an alternative during World War II, and cottage cheese made from skim milk was promoted after the war as a high-protein food. Are these allegations true?
Is it a rich source of protein?
Cottage cheese is a fresh cheese that has a mild, slightly acidic flavour. 100 grams of cottage cheese contain about 17 grams of protein, which is about two and a half times the amount found in one egg, and three times that found in full-fat yogurt. Your body needs protein to build muscle, repair tissues and cells, form and regulate hormones, maintain digestion, and supply oxygen to the blood.
Cottage cheese is made by adding an acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) to milk. The acid separates the curds from the whey. Once the curds harden, the whey is filtered. The remainder is cut into smaller pieces, forming cottage cheese. Curds contain casein, a protein found naturally in milk, but which coagulates into clumps when exposed to acid. Casein protein is a complete protein that provides all nine essential amino acids.
Proteins are made up of 20 different amino acids, 11 of which our bodies can make, but 9 of which we can only obtain through eating them. Complete proteins, such as casein, contain all nine of these amino acids.
Can cottage cheese help you lose weight?
Cottage cheese is considered low in calories compared to regular cheese. 100 grams of cottage cheese contains 111 calories, while the same amount of cheddar cheese contains 416 calories. Casein protein is also digested slowly, making you feel full longer.
Vitamins and minerals
Cottage cheese is rich in protein, and also contains calcium, vitamin B12 and other micronutrients.
Vitamin B12 is important for brain function. Calcium, of course, is essential for healthy bones and teeth, and cottage cheese is a good source of phosphorus, a mineral that also helps bones.
Does cottage cheese help build muscle?
Protein is essential for muscle growth because it helps repair and maintain tissue. In general, to build muscle, you need to do resistance exercises and eat a sufficient amount of protein.
Cottage cheese is a good source of protein, but it won’t help you build muscle unless you put in a hard effort, unfortunately.
What about bone strength?
“As with other dairy products, cottage cheese contains calcium, which is important for supporting bone health,” Dr. Federica Amati, head of nutrition at a nutritional company, told the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Hard cheeses contain more calcium. For example, 100 grams of cottage cheese contains about 90 milligrams of calcium, while the same amount of Parmesan cheese contains more than 900 milligrams.
Can it cause allergies?
100 grams of cottage cheese contains about 3.5 grams of lactose. “People who are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy products should avoid cottage cheese,” Amati says.
What do I add to cottage cheese?
You can eat cottage cheese with other foods to add more flavor and health to this meal. “Because cottage cheese does not contain fibre, which is key to supporting a healthy gut microbiome, it’s a good idea to pair it with high-fiber foods like berries or whole-grain crackers to promote balanced gut health,” says Dr. Emily Leeming, a microbiome scientist.