Cottage Cheese Comeback

Cottage cheese is making its comeback?!

If you are on social media, you know that cottage cheese has been recently trending in every recipe possible. For a generation that seems to consistently hate dairy consumption, this revival has many confused. 

Is it the protein they want? 

Is it the new Greek yogurt? 

And why is everyone taking it too far LOL and blending it to make ice cream or cookie dough?

One of the biggest reasons cottage cheese seems to be making a comeback is based on its highly nutritious profile.  

Let’s start off by mentioning some history on the dairy product. 

Cottage Cheese 101

The baby boomer popular food has a great source of calcium, probiotics, and protein. More than half of the product is considered a protein.  In a serving of cottage cheese (1 cup), there is on average, 25 grams of protein. 

Cottage cheese is considered one of the most versatile cheeses! It comes in different sizes such as small or large curds and  it can be found in stores listed as whipped, reduced sodium, lactose-free, whole, part skim and 2%. It can be found with fruit in it as well! The dairy product is known as a lower calorie cheese (likely why many people are on the move for it). 

Even though cottage cheese is a great option for a snack or a side with a meal, has TikTok taken it a little too far?

Cottage cheese is… trending?

The trend started from videos of people whipping cottage cheese and adding it into dips for parties. Then it escalated to adding cottage cheese to make edible cookie dough and other desserts. Many creators are saying that cottage cheese is perfect to add to these desserts for the added protein benefits. However, is it really necessary to add protein to cookie dough?

According to the NIH (National Institute of Health), “The average American consumes 30-50% more protein than the recommended amount per serving.” So adding cottage cheese to your favorite dessert not only may add unnecessary proteins, but it also might taste a little funny! 

Cottage cheese also tends to contain quite a bit of sodium. This can still be okay, but it is important to know if you suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension. It might be necessary to make sure you are not consuming unnecessary extra sodium (which can lead to an increase in blood pressure).

Final thoughts

It is important to note that it is absolutely more than okay to enjoy your favorite dessert the way you like it and to not always add “healthier” ingredients to it. If you are craving ice cream, it is important to honor those hunger cues and enjoy your favorite flavor of ice cream. 

If adding cottage cheese to a dip allows you to enjoy more veggies and a variety of foods, go for it! However, if you are adding cottage cheese to a recipe that really does not need the extra protein (and it does not taste the same), then enjoy that recipe that way it was created to be!

But, if you are interested in adding a new protein into your life or spicing up your meal routine by trying something new, consider trying a cottage cheese bowl of sorts or some of our founder, Jenna Werner’s fave ways to use it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3YFHivnxh/?img_index=7 

Remember, the key behind choices and following trends comes down to your INTENTIONS. What is your intention behind trying the cottage cheese fueled food? You enjoy it? Go for it! You are interested in trying something new? ENJOY! You want to simply cut calories and add protein because gymbro77 said so on Tiktok - PASS :) 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18469286/ 

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Written by Emma Sommers

Hey, I'm Emma!

I'm currently a Senior at Purdue University studying Nutrition and Dietetics. I love everything about nutrition and have a passion towards helping people learn to love food and all the science behind it!  Learn more about the HSH offerings here.