One of the foods that is not recommended to give up when losing weight is cottage cheese. It contains a lot of protein and calcium, is quickly absorbed and helps normalize metabolism. If you choose it correctly and combine it with other foods, it will help you lose weight profitably. It can be used in mono-diets and long-term nutrition systems. It is recommended for use by children, elderly people, and athletes. By adding cottage cheese when losing weight, you can easily lose body fat without reducing muscle mass.
Beneficial features
Cottage cheese is a concentrated dairy product. It is one of the best sources of protein. In addition, it contains a lot of calcium, which is easily absorbed with the help of milk fats. It contains almost no carbohydrates and vitamins, but contains lactose and lactobacilli to normalize the intestinal microflora.
This product is popular for children's and dietary nutrition; it is used by athletes, as well as women who want to lose weight. This is explained by the following beneficial properties:
- strengthens the skeleton;
- protects against caries;
- reduces cholesterol levels;
- increases endurance;
- normalizes hormonal balance;
- accelerates the passage of nerve impulses;
- helps overcome stressful situations;
- improves mood;
- eliminates insomnia;
- strengthens immune defense;
- prevents the development of atherosclerosis.
Is it possible to lose weight on cottage cheese?
This fermented milk product is often used for weight loss. After all, a large amount of easily digestible protein with an almost complete absence of carbohydrates and fats ensures improved metabolism. That's why cottage cheese is so often used for weight loss. This product is nutritious and satiates well. After it, you don’t feel hungry for several hours. But all this time the body is actively using up fat reserves to get energy.
Many people doubt whether it is possible to eat cottage cheese while losing weight, so they refuse it. But you shouldn't do this. Its benefits for weight loss are great:
- improves digestion;
- accelerates metabolic processes;
- removes toxins and excess water;
- normalizes cholesterol and sugar levels;
- helps cleanse the intestines;
- helps build muscle mass.
Eating cottage cheese during a diet is very popular. This type of weight loss is suitable for anyone, as it has almost no contraindications. It is easier to withstand, since this product is concentrated and saturates for a long time. If you do not use a mono-diet, but include it in your diet 1-2 times, you can lose 5 kg in a month. In addition, such nutrition will improve the condition of bones, protect against caries, strengthen the immune system and improve digestion.
Mechanism of weight loss
Cottage cheese can be the main and additional product for fasting programs, mono and long-term diets. Athletes include it in their diet on training days to speed up the process of building muscle mass while actively burning fat. All this is due to its beneficial properties:
- helps maintain muscle mass;
- accelerates metabolism;
- enriches the body with calcium;
- satisfies hunger for a long time;
- improves digestion;
- is a diuretic, eliminating excess fluid and swelling;
- provides the body with additional energy;
- fights compulsive overeating, as it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system: calms, improves mood, relieves irritability;
- has lipotropic properties, accelerating fat metabolism.
Nutritionists say: even just by regularly adding it to your diet, you can keep your figure in good shape without any diets.
About the name. Translated from Old Church Slavonic, “cottage cheese” means “solid milk.”
Which cottage cheese is best for weight loss?
Now you can easily buy homemade cottage cheese on the market. But to lose weight, it’s better to buy it in a store, where you can choose the level of fat content yourself. There are several varieties:
- fat – more than 18%;
- classic - 4–18%;
- lean 1–4%;
- low fat.
Many people believe that only low-fat cottage cheese can be used for weight loss. But nutritionists do not recommend using such a product in the diet. In addition to the fact that the body definitely needs fats, without them calcium is poorly absorbed. Therefore, to lose weight you need to take cottage cheese with a fat content of 1 to 5%. It is better to eat a little of this product than a large amount of low-fat.
It is not recommended to purchase cottage cheese with additives. You need to look at the composition so that it contains only milk, cream, and sourdough. Cottage cheese with grains, raisins or dried apricots, children's curds and cheese curds are not suitable for weight loss. It is also very important to look at the expiration date. An expired fermented milk product will do more harm than good.
When is it better to eat cottage cheese for weight loss: morning, afternoon or evening?
Depending on the level of fat content and additives, this product can be consumed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. These dishes are also ideal for snacking. But due to its high protein content, it is recommended to eat it in the morning or afternoon. It takes 2-3 hours to digest, so you may experience heaviness in the stomach at night.
Those who are interested in when it is better to eat cottage cheese for weight loss: in the morning or in the evening, are often advised to eat it for breakfast. At this time, it is better to combine it with dried fruits, berries, oatmeal, and honey. This dish will satisfy your hunger for a long time and give you a boost of energy. For lunch or afternoon snack, you can make dietary cheesecakes or casserole.
But there is another opinion about when it is better to eat cottage cheese when losing weight. Some nutritionists recommend eating it for dinner. This high-protein product is believed to stimulate fat burning during sleep. In addition, calcium is absorbed best at night. But in this case, it is recommended to eat no more than 50 g of it as part of a light vegetable salad.
How to use
If you use cottage cheese incorrectly, there is a risk of not achieving results. One of the most controversial points is when it is best to eat it: in the morning or in the evening, before or after training. Such doubts are completely inappropriate for one simple reason: this product is so versatile and easily digestible that it can be included in the diet for both breakfast and dinner.
In the morning, it will give you a boost of energy and vigor, filling you quickly and for a long time so that you can last until your next meal without bouts of hunger. Add fruits and herbs to it.
In the evening, it will significantly facilitate digestion before bed, the stomach will work better without heavy and difficult-to-digest food. For dinner, you can prepare vegetable salads with its participation or dietary desserts. Another advantage of eating cottage cheese at night for the purpose of losing weight is preventing overeating. After it you definitely won’t be drawn to the refrigerator.
The same goes for sports. It can be eaten before training (30-60 minutes before) to recharge your energy and increase endurance. This will allow you to spend the maximum number of calories in the gym. Curd dishes will also be useful after exercise, as they will promote muscle recovery after physical activity, thanks to the natural casein they contain. Here it is better to give preference to drinks - smoothies and cocktails.
What it goes with: fruits, eggs, other dairy products, vegetables, herbs.
During a fasting day, you can eat up to 300 g (you can read how to do it correctly here); for longer diets, the daily intake should not exceed 200 g.
Lifehack. Never freeze this product - this will cause it to lose all its beneficial properties.
How to use cottage cheese on a diet?
Even people on a diet can consume this product daily. A 200 gram pack of cottage cheese with a fat content of 5% contains 230 kcal and 10 g of fat. If you combine it with vegetables or fruits, you can eat even 300–400 g per day.
But to make it easier to lose weight on cottage cheese, you need to follow several rules for its use:
- you need to choose fresh cottage cheese, it should be white, without any foreign smell;
- fat content 2–5%;
- It is not advisable to add sugar;
- when following a diet, you need to drink at least 2 liters of water;
- Breakfast is very important, it should be hearty and nutritious;
- if a mono-diet is used, you need to reduce physical activity, since it does not contain carbohydrates;
- Also, during a mono-diet, the kidney function is monitored; if swelling appears, it must be stopped.
Diet options
There are several diet options in which this product is allowed. There are also mono-diets made only from it. They are not recommended for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and lactose intolerance. It should also be taken into account that long-term adherence to a protein diet leads to impaired kidney function.
It is important to understand what you can eat cottage cheese with on a diet. Combining it incorrectly with other foods will counteract its weight loss benefits. Depending on the variety of diet and purpose of use, you can use one of the popular nutrition systems.
Three day diet
This is a strict nutrition system. It includes only cottage cheese, it should be eaten in an amount of 300–800 g. Additionally, you are allowed to consume kefir or green tea with lemon. One meal can consist of unsweetened berries.
A variant of such a nutritional system would be a diet of cottage cheese and bran. Eat 4-5 times a day, each time eating 100 g and 1 spoon of wheat bran. They must first be steamed with boiling water or a decoction of herbs. Additionally, it is allowed to eat berries, apples, and pears. This diet helps you get rid of 3-4 kg of excess weight.
Seven day diet
You can easily lose up to 5 kg without causing harm to the body. Every day you need to consume 300 g of cottage cheese with 5% fat content. This amount is divided into two times, for example, for breakfast and afternoon snack. In addition, you need to know what you can eat cottage cheese with on your diet during these 7 days. The best options are non-starchy vegetables, unsweetened berries, freshly squeezed juices, and herbal teas.
The menu for this diet is easy to create, as it is quite monotonous.
- For breakfast, eat 200 g of fermented milk product. It is better to mix it with chopped dried fruits. It’s even acceptable to make cheesecakes or casserole.
- The second breakfast consists of green tea or chicory decoction without sugar.
- During the day you can cook vegetable borscht, soup, baked eggplants with veal or boiled cod. Additionally, a salad is prepared from carrots, radishes, cabbage, and green beans.
- For an afternoon snack they eat apples, oranges, pears or a few apricots.
- For dinner you need to make a smoothie with cottage cheese and fruit. You can also eat it plain or with honey.
A more strict option is a three-day diet on cottage cheese and kefir. It helps you lose more than 6 kg, but it is more difficult to follow. Every day you need to eat 400 g of cottage cheese and 1 liter of kefir. Additionally, fruits are allowed, except bananas and grapes.
Fasting day
It allows you to cleanse the intestines and normalize metabolism. In 1 day you can reduce weight by 1 kg. With such weight loss, cottage cheese is consumed in the amount of 500 g and another 1 liter of kefir. This amount should be divided into 5-6 meals.
There is another option for a fasting day. A smoothie with any fruit is prepared for him. You will need 600–800 ml of cocktail per day. Apart from this, you can only drink water; unsweetened green tea is allowed.
Maggi Diet
This diet is quite popular. It is designed for a period of 2 weeks to a month. This is a protein diet, therefore, in addition to 300 g of cottage cheese, lean fish and lean meat are consumed every day. Additionally, unsweetened fruits and non-starchy vegetables are allowed. Cottage cheese is eaten twice a day, and a daily meat dish and vegetable salad are a must. With this nutrition system you can lose 10 kg.
Types of cottage cheese
Cottage cheese varies depending on the type of production. Cottage cheese is mainly made from raw, pasteurized, whole or low-fat milk. Method - fermentation with pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria with or without the addition of rennet powder and calcium chloride with partial removal of whey.
We will not dwell in detail on the technological process here - it is quite complicated. The main thing to take away is that depending on the type of production, the resulting cottage cheese is of different consistency and with different percentages of fat content. Fat content is what is important to us.
The percentage of fat content depends on the plant where the cottage cheese is made. For example, our plant - VMK Vologda Dairy Plant, produces fat - 9%, semi-fat - 5% and skim - 1.8%. The fact that 1.8% is called low-fat is not entirely true) Because real low-fat is when there is 0% fat. And this also happens.
As if “low-fat” cottage cheese, but in fact 1.8% fat content
Bold cottage cheese 5% fat
What can you eat cottage cheese with when losing weight?
Cottage cheese goes well with some vegetables, fruits, and herbs. You can prepare various casseroles, dietary cheesecakes, smoothies. But you need to follow the advice on what to eat cottage cheese with when losing weight. It is important not to add sugar, chocolate, fat or starchy vegetables to it. Ideal combination with berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, carrots, pumpkin, herbs, nuts.
- If you beat cottage cheese in a blender with fruit, you get a nutritious dietary smoothie. It is eaten as an afternoon snack or in the evening.
- Mix it with chopped dill or parsley and use the mixture for sandwiches or as a filling for stuffed vegetables.
- Instead of sugar, you can add honey or dried fruits. This dish is good for breakfast.
- You should eat cottage cheese with prunes for dinner. It will help improve bowel function.
- If you add grated garlic to it, it will speed up the digestion process.
- For dinner, it is better to prepare a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. You need to add a couple of spoons of cottage cheese to it, and season with kefir or natural yogurt.
- For cottage cheese to work better when losing weight, you need to combine it with cinnamon. You can add it to the fermented milk product itself or bake apples with it. Cinnamon stimulates metabolism and fat burning process.
Popular recipes
You can use cottage cheese for weight loss not only in its pure form. Various healthy and tasty dishes are prepared from it. They help diversify your diet. At the same time, its calorie content is reduced, but the body is provided with the necessary nutrients.
- Diet cheesecakes are made from 500 g of cottage cheese, 250 g of flour, 2 eggs. You can add honey or a little sugar. Pieces of apple or dried apricots, cinnamon, and vanillin are also added. It is better to bake them in the oven.
- Berry casserole is made with honey and unsweetened berries. You need to grind a pack of cottage cheese, add an egg and 100 g of berries. Spices are added to taste: cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric.
- You can make a delicious carrot-curd pie. For 200 g of cottage cheese add 1 grated carrot and egg. If desired, add cinnamon, vanillin, sugar, berries, and nuts to the mixture.
- Sandwich paste is made with dill and parsley. The fermented milk product must be mashed, mixed with chopped herbs, salt, garlic and pepper. You can beat the mass in a blender.
- You can make baked apples with filling. It is prepared from mashed cottage cheese, cinnamon and eggs. The apples are cored, filled with curd mass and placed in the oven.
- A light dietary salad made from cucumbers, Chinese cabbage, onions and celery stalks. You can season it with olive oil. Salt and pepper are added to taste.
- The cottage cheese omelette is fried in a non-stick frying pan. It requires 2-3 eggs, 200 g of cottage cheese, salt and herbs.
Cottage cheese is useful for any person, both for those who adhere to the principles of a healthy diet and for those who want to lose weight. This product will provide the body with protein and help you lose weight without harm to your health.
IMPORTANT! Informational article! Before use, you should consult a specialist.
Diet recipes
Dietary recipes will help diversify the table.
When creating a menu for each day, you need to pay attention to the calorie content of the dishes.
Homemade cottage cheese omelette
It is cooked in the oven.
Mix low-fat cottage cheese (200 g) with eggs (4 pcs.) and finely chopped green onions (1-2 feathers). Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into muffin tins and place in an oven preheated to 160°C for 15 minutes.
Diet cheesecakes
As for classic cheesecakes, cottage cheese with minimal fat content (500 g) is first ground through a sieve.
This results in a fluffy mass that mixes easily with other ingredients. Then eggs (2 pieces) and a pinch of salt are added to the mixture. For sweetness, you can season it with honey (1 tbsp), chopped dried fruits or stevia syrup; add vanilla for flavor.
The resulting mass is mixed with oatmeal (1 tbsp). Instead of flour, you can use oatmeal crushed in a coffee grinder.
The dough should be divided into small pieces from which to form round cheesecakes. Place the finished semi-finished products on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes. Serve with yogurt.
You can prepare light dietary dishes from cottage cheese.
Curd and tomato snack
Roughly chop blanched tomatoes (4 pcs.). Sprinkle them with ground ginger. Add low-fat fermented milk product (100 g), chopped greens. Add salt and pepper if desired. Season everything with olive oil.
Baked apples with cottage cheese
First you need to prepare the filling for the apples.
Mix cottage cheese (100 g) through a sieve with raisins (10 g) and crushed nuts (10 g), add cinnamon and sweetener. Wash 4 large apples and, without peeling them, carefully remove the core and seeds. Fill them with the prepared curd mass and place in an oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes.
Curd smoothie
Beat low-fat cottage cheese (100 g), milk (100 ml) and any berries in a blender.
Salad with cottage cheese and radishes
Mash 200 g of cottage cheese, add finely chopped green onions (1-2 feathers), radishes cut into half rings (100 g). Mix everything, season with natural yoghurt (30 g). You can add salt and pepper to taste.
