Is Cottage Cheese the New Greek Yogurt?
/Is it me, or has cottage cheese somehow become the new darling of the fitness and nutrition world? I’ve always avoided it because the toddler in me is like, “Ewwww, gross.” But I finally broke down a few weeks ago when, after yoga, a friend and I went to a diner that served it alongside a yummy egg white and veggie scramble. It wasn’t bad.
Now it’s popping up everywhere as the new “it” ingredient for added protein. Clients are sending me pictures of Trader Joe’s ready-to-eat protein pancakes with 20g of protein thanks to cottage cheese, along with countless easy-to-make recipes like this one and this one. (Cue my best Carrie Bradshaw voice.) So I’m left wondering… is cottage cheese the new Greek yogurt? There’s also a Heated Rivalry joke here waiting to be made. #meetmeatthecottage
For people who hate Greek yogurt and are averse to protein powder, it’s a great option—if you can get past the lumps! It’s also great on its own or as an ingredient paired with other flavors to cover it up a bit. I’m actually a fan of the Trader Joe’s pancakes for their ease (just heat for one minute). The ingredient list is pretty straightforward and doesn’t fall into “ultra-processed” territory. And for the record, I’m still a fan of Greek yogurt. I add it to the pancakes with fruit and get the benefits of both—and double the protein. Om nom nom.
I asked my friend and colleague, Tarah Valenti, RDN, with CustomFit, her thoughts on cottage cheese (a sentence I never thought I’d write). Here’s her hot take:
“Cottage cheese is an excellent way to add protein to the diet for anyone who can tolerate dairy. It has many of the same health benefits as Greek yogurt or skyr, with a couple of small differences. Greek yogurt typically has more calcium and contains probiotics, whereas cottage cheese has less calcium and isn’t always cultured. Look for cultured cottage cheese to get the added benefit of probiotics. The only real drawbacks of cottage cheese are the potentially high sodium content (check your labels) and the taste and texture, which can be off-putting to some.”
So if you’ve been stubborn about embracing this new siren of the high-protein world, now may be your time to be bold and try out some of the creative ways it’s being used to help fuel your body for health and fitness gains.
