Cheese de la cottage

Why is it that kids hate cottage cheese and adults love cottage cheese?

Not sure if it's an acquired taste or just the fact that it looks and sounds gross.  I HATED it as a child. I loved asparagus and hated cottage cheese. Totally normal. So here's the story of how I was 25 years old before I even tasted cottage cheese (yes, I hated it as a child without even trying it...I was a kid...get off muh back.) Teach (my roommate who teaches me things because she's a teacher and she's smart) introduced me to the glorious snack that is cottage cheese. I had no idea that this substance that resembled a disgusting, smelly, moldy pile of milk could taste like mmmmmm.

Not only does it taste pretty awesome, but there are also several health benefits of cottage cheese. This Livestrong article goes through the components of cottage cheese and some health benefits. Let's take a quick gander at the different components:

1. Fat
Basically, cottage cheese can be made from any type of milk...skim, 1%, 2%, whole, butter (? I don't know about this one...just go with it.) Obviously, the lightest milk creates the cottage cheese with the lowest fat content. So, if you are looking for a snack that is low in fat, get the fat-free cottage cheese. Simple.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Everyone knows these little buggers are good for you. Well everyone should know that. They make supplements with these guys in them. You can also get them from eating some types of fish. These have been shown to be helpful with brain function (which I definitely need right now...and always.) Pretty cool little helpers! Good news--cottage cheese has them!

3. Vitamin B
This nice little guy helps strengthen the body's immune system and in some cases helps with energy level. It's pretty cool and also a very common supplement. Some people even get B-12 shots! Cottage cheese has B-12 in it! Come on people--it's a no-brainer.

4. Protein
Cottage cheese is high in protein. Protein has a slow digestion rate. A slow digestion rate helps you stay full longer. This makes it a great snack for all my physically active folks out there. Stay full and increase your protein intake. Fabulous! Here's another Livestrong article really diving into why it's good after a workout. (Yes, I have a serious affinity for Livestrong. Get over it.)

5. Minerals
Alright...alright...alright. So cottage cheese has A LOT of salt in it. Living in the 21st century, we all know that salt can lead to some serious health problems, namely concerning the heart. We have some serious issues with it in American diets (because we like french fries...and everything else that we can possibly fit in our mouths.) Drink a lot of water with your cottage cheese to try to help and balance that high salt content. On the bright side though, cottage cheese has a ton of calcium which our Mommas told us helps our bones grow...and stay strong.


The main article I've been talking about references Nutrition Data for specific nutrition facts. Check it out. It's a pretty cool website

I'll leave you with my favorite mini-recipe (attributed to Teach):

1/2 cup of cottage cheese + 1 tbsp of grape jelly. Mix it up. It takes approximately 45 seconds. Okay, maybe 46 seconds.You can also try strawberry jelly or (don't judge) maple syrup. Soooooo delish. You'd be surprised. Use fat-free cottage cheese and sugar-free condiments for an extra healthy version.

If you have other cottage cheese recipes, send them my way and I'll try them.

Now go get cheesy!  
(ba dum dum...that's my way of typing the sound of drums when the drummer makes that sound after the person on the microphone makes a joke...come on...you know what I'm talking about.)