Most of the time, cheese itself is not considered a food you should eat while on a diet. Cottage cheese is one of the exceptions, however. Cottage cheese comes in several types, including low salt, low fat, 1 percent milk fat, and cottage cheese mixed with a variety of fruit. This is a cheese type that can be eaten alone or added to a variety of recipes, including salads. But is cottage cheese good for you? Let's find out.

What Is Cottage Cheese?

Cottage cheese is actually a type of cheese. It is made from curdled cow's milk that is then drained from excess moisture and packed in cartons. You can curdle cow's milk by adding something acidic to it, such as vinegar or lemon, or using a special enzyme (such as rennet) by a chemical reaction.

After curdling, the substance is washed and drained of whey. However, some of the whey stays behind so that the curd is loosely packed. Cottage cheese is a bit different from other types of cheeses because it is made from fresh cheese curd and doesn't have a great deal of flavoring. It is created from milk that has been pasteurized. You can use nonfat, low fat or whole milk to make the various types of cottage cheese available.

Cottage cheese has a very moist texture. It is similar to ricotta cheese but is moister than that. If you dry the curds out further, the end result is farmer's cheese and pot cheese.

Is Cottage Cheese Good for You?

Cottage cheese is an excellent source of dairy protein. About 100 grams of cottage cheese contains about 98 calories, 3.38 grams of carbohydrates, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.6 grams of sugar, 11.1 grams of protein and some vitamins A and D. There are also many trace elements to be gotten from eating cottage cheese, such as iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, selenium, and potassium.

So, is cottage cheese good for you? Yes! The main benefits of eating cottage cheese include the following:

1.   Weight Control

If you choose to eat non-fat or low fat cottage cheese, it can help you lose weight. The low fat kind of cottage cheese is a tasty diet choice and doesn't contain much sugar, carbs or fat. Cottage cheese is high in casein, which is a protein that helps you stay feeling full so that you are less likely to eat too many unhealthy fats. It should be a staple of any weight loss diet.

2.   Development of Muscle Strength

Cottage cheese is often eaten by people interested in fitness and by athletes. Because cottage cheese is high in calcium and protein, it helps in the growth, development, and repair of muscles without giving you added fat.

3.   Development and Maintenance of Bone Tissue

Cottage cheese is high in both phosphorus and calcium—two minerals that you need to maintain an adequate bone density.

4.   The Health of Your Teeth and Gums

The calcium in cottage cheese helps maintain healthy gums and teeth. The calcium in cottage cheese helps to keep osteoporosis away.

5.   Blood Clotting and Nervous System Function

You need calcium in order to have a healthy circulatory system and nervous system. Many of our neurological activities need calcium, which is found in high amounts in cottage cheese.

6.   Digestive System Function

Cottage cheese is high in phosphorus, which is an essential component of DNA or RNA. You also need phosphorus to build strong bones. Phosphorus compounds aid in excretion, digestion, and in making energy for the cells of the body.

7.   Antioxidant Effects

You can find a small amount of selenium in cottage cheese. It acts as an antioxidant for the protection of DNA and cellular structures. There is also evidence that selenium in the diet is preventative against prostate cancer. You only need about 50-70 micrograms per day in adult people, so cottage cheese is good choice.

8.   Biological Activities

You can find about 4 percent of the recommended daily allowances of zinc in a serving of cottage cheese. Zinc is important to the health of the immune system and helps in the control of diabetes, stress reduction, anxiety reduction, digestive function, eye health, night blindness, infections, loss of appetite and prostate health. Zinc also acts as an excellent antioxidant.

9.   Breast Health

Cottage cheese is high in calcium and vitamin D that is preventative against breast cancer. There was a study out of Harvard showing that premenopausal women who had high levels of vitamin D and calcium had a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. This was a long-term study lasting 16 years.

10.   Pregnancy

Women who are pregnant need extra calcium and this can be found by eating cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is also high in phosphorus, used to make bones healthy in pregnant women.

People always want to know which one is better: Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, you can watch the video below to get answer:

However, Be Cautious

While the answer to the question, "Is cottage cheese good for you?" is yes, it is not a perfect food. There are some things in cottage cheese you should pay attention to:

• Sodium. If you purchase cottage cheese from the grocery store, it may be high in table salt that can harm your kidneys, raise your blood pressure, and can be bad for your heart. Try for low salt cottage cheese so that you can have a lesser risk of kidney problems, strokes, high blood pressure, and strokes.
• Cholesterol. Cottage cheese is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can lead to atherosclerosis, heart disease or stroke. You can remedy this by buying nonfat cottage cheese.