Taste and nutritional value of cottage cheese largely depend on its fat content. Familiar to us since childhood, a dairy product is now available in a huge assortment. In many cases, nutritionists and doctors recommend eating cottage cheese with 5% fat content. What is the peculiarity of this type of product, as well as cottage cheese in general? What is the calorie content of cottage cheese (5 percent fat and others)? How is it useful in diet food?
Types of cottage cheese depending on fat content
Even knowing well the value of this product for our health, you can get confused in the names offered by supermarkets. Today, only by grading fat there are several types of useful sour-milk products.
This is granular (farm), it is prepared from whole milk (fat content of cottage cheese 15 or 18% - will depend on the feedstock, its density).
Cottage cheese from separated milk (cream is first separated here, and only then the final product is made) may have different fat content:
- fat-free curd mass has 0%;
- 5% cottage cheese, respectively, has 5 g of fat per 100 g of product;
- nine%;
- 18%;
- cottage cheese with 22% (the fattest).
What is the nutritional value of cottage cheese? What is the percentage of fat? To whom and why is it useful to buy a product with a low content?
Composition of the product
To understand this, you should see why the product may have a different percentage of fat and what it depends on.
The cottage cheese contains a lot of useful things. This is a large amount of proteins (about 16%), which our body needs to form muscle mass. There is a small amount of carbohydrates (about 3%).
There are fats, the percentage of which depends on the method of manufacturing the product. They are easily digested. If the cottage cheese will have only 5% fat, then it is suitable for a diet table. It is calorie calorie content of 5 percent that allows it to be used in the nutrition of patients with pancreatitis, elderly people and children from 8 months.
The product is rich in micro and macro elements (fluorine, iron, sodium, magnesium, folic acid). There is also phosphorus, calcium, potassium, which are very useful for our bones and teeth. It contains vitamins (group B, A, K), it is difficult to overestimate their importance for our body, they participate in metabolic processes, and are needed to prevent many diseases.
Amino acids tryptophan and methionine are useful for hematopoiesis, they are very important for stabilizing our nervous system.
There are other supplements. Today, the industry produces cottage cheese with a number of fillers: vanilla, raisins, dried apricots, berries and fruits. They not only give a pleasant peculiar flavor to the product, but also increase the amount of nutrients in it. Often sugar is added to these types of curd mass, which significantly increases its calorie content.
The nutritional value
The acidity of the curd is neutral, which allows it to be used for patients with most diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The absence of preservatives and the presence of a wide range of vitamins and minerals make cottage cheese indispensable for baby food, and low calorie content provides usefulness in the diet.
The nutritional value of the curd mass of different fat content can be judged on the basis of this table.
Product type | Nutritional value (kcal) |
Grain (farmer) | 144–165 |
0% | 71 |
2% | 79 |
5% | 121 |
nine% | 159 |
22% | 162 |
It should be noted that the calorie content and nutritional value of cottage cheese will depend not only on the percentage of fat in the product, but also on the amount of carbohydrates and proteins. And it may differ, because it depends on the fat content and density of milk.
Features 5% Product
Very useful 5 percent cottage cheese, chemical composition and nutritional value which are harmoniously combined.
Low calorie content and traditional healthy qualities make this product indispensable for dietetic nutrition. It is recommended for children from six months. Due to the fact that the fat content of cottage cheese is only 5%, it is well absorbed by the children's body, while it has a supply of calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, as well as other substances useful for babies.
Good for the elderly, as it contains a small amount of saturated fat, as well as for those who suffer from chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Several factors are important here: neutral acidity and the presence of pepsins, as well as a sparing composition for the stomach.
This product is used in many diets for weight loss, the nutritional value of the cottage cheese of this species is only 121 kcal per 100 grams. So, the famous “Kremlin diet” recommends using it.
When is it better to eat more high-calorie cottage cheese
In many cases, 9% cottage cheese, whose caloric content is slightly higher (159 kcal), can be alternated with 5%, since a decrease in the level of fat content of the product entails a decrease in the amount of nutrients in it. However, when dieting for such an alternation, a doctor’s consultation is mandatory.
But for those who want to gain muscle mass, it is better to use 9% cottage cheese, since not only protein, which is in large quantities in the product, but also its calorie content will be needed here.
For these purposes, a 15 percent fat product is quite suitable. Cottage cheese 9%, whose caloric value is higher than that of 5%, will be useful for large physical exertion (including sports).
How to cook curd mass
Fat-free varieties of this healthy product are prepared from milk previously passed through a separator. Here, fat cream is separated from the total mass. Then, by traditional fermentation (while the enzyme pepsin is still added), the final product is made from it and the whey is drained from the curd mass. Such a product will have a zero percentage of fat. Then, to obtain a 5% fat content, cream is added to the finished curd mass. This technology is used by modern industry with virtually no preservatives or chemicals.
How to find out the quality of cottage cheese and its nutritional value
When buying industrial-made cottage cheese, all these data can be read on the packaging. Be sure to look at the date of manufacture, as the cottage cheese quickly deteriorates.
Conscientious manufacturers make the packaging transparent or leave a window in it. This allows you to see the consistency and color of the product. Normally, the mass is ideally white granular, slightly oily consistency.
About the quality of the farm product
Farm-made cottage cheese is worth a try: the taste should be neutral, soft. A bitter taste will indicate poor-quality milk, and a sour taste will indicate a stale product. If the curd mass is tough, it is too overexposed on the fire, this product no longer has useful vitamins and most trace elements. Rub the cottage cheese between the fingers, you should get an oily mass that rolls into lumps. Poor quality product will be sticky.