14 Of The Unhealthiest Store-Bought Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is having a moment. Made from small curds bound together in a creamy sauce, the cheese has never really been out of style, but it feels like more people than ever are getting to know that its rich yet neutral flavor and high-protein nature make cottage cheese usable in a variety of ways. Despite it being well-known as a healthy snack, though, that's not always the case. The nutritional quality is entirely dependent on the brand you buy, and some products can be surprisingly unhealthy.

One of the main issues with cottage cheese is sodium. Although this cheese is rarely salt-free, thanks to the sodium in the milk used to make it and additional salt added during the production process to enhance its flavor, its content can vary wildly. Some low-sodium brands have as little as 55 milligrams per serving, while others can cover almost a quarter of the 2,300-milligram suggested daily limit for adults in one go. Other brands can have a surprising amount of added sugar in them, which is again added to improve its flavor but can nudge up against your daily limits. In this article, we assessed the nutritional quality of cottage cheese brands primarily by their sodium levels, while also looking at added sugar and unnecessary added ingredients. 

For folks who are lactose intolerant, cheese can be one of the hardest dietary sacrifices to make. So we can understand why people might think that Lactaid's cottage cheese is a godsend. Its 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese is 100% lactose-free, and promises an easy digestive experience with all of the flavor of a regular product.

However, a lot of its taste is bolstered by its 440 milligrams of sodium per serving. This sodium amount makes Lactaid 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese one of the saltiest on the market — and with its 3 grams of saturated fat, it's also fairly fatty. Its sodium content is good evidence of why you should never assume that a snack is healthy, even if it's often deemed to be. Instead, you should always seek out sodium-free or low-sodium cottage cheese brands, ideally those that also have lower levels of saturated fat. 

Breakstone has made a name with its dairy products, and it's clearly well aware of its cottage cheese's snackable nature. Strawberry Cottage Doubles are proof of this, with the company offering snack packs combining cottage cheese and a sugary strawberry topping. However, it's probably no surprise that sugary topping has a fair amount of sweetener in it -– in just a few spoonfuls, you get 6 grams of added sugar. This cottage cheese isn't exactly salt-free, either, and delivers 350 milligrams per serving.

While the nutritional label on this product states that it provides 12% of your daily value for added sugar, some prominent health organizations have suggested that the actual limit on how much you should be consuming is far less. The American Heart Association states that women should have no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day, while men should limit their intake to 36 grams daily. Consuming high amounts of added sugar can have a significant effect on your health, impacting everything from your skin quality, to your liver, to your mood, and even your sexual health. Probably not worth it for a few bites of cottage cheese, huh?

One of the biggest concerns around eating cottage cheese (or any cheese) is fat intake. Luckily, cottage cheese is just as good when it's low fat, and Westby Lowfat Cottage Cheese is one of the more popular options out there. Unfortunately, the brand has clearly decided that the best way to replace the flavor lost from having a lower fat quantity is by adding salt, and this results in it having a high 450 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Salt content in cheese is a perennial problem, whether it's low fat or not. The additive acts both as a flavor enhancer and a preservative, extending its shelf life by preventing bacteria from growing too quickly. It also contributes to cheese's texture, helping the casein bind together more easily. This texture is further improved in Westby Lowfat Cottage Cheese by carrageenan, a common additive that's faced a lot of controversy for its potential health effects – and which here appears to add the smoothness that's lost due to the lower fat content. Although low fat choices can be attractive, it's always worth remembering that they can contain other ingredients that may knock them into more unhealthy territory. ‌

There's something about Cabot Creamery's products that just feels comforting. We don't know whether it's its homely logo, simple color scheme, or claim that its food is "fresh from Vermont," but at first glance it looks like an all-natural winner that you can use to snack on or add fluff to scrambled eggs. A closer inspection at the ingredients list for its cottage cheese, however, tells a different story. Each serving has 420 milligrams of sodium, enough to cover 18% of your daily value. Curiously, too, this cottage cheese contains carrageenan. It's curious because carrageenan is usually reserved for low fat cottage cheese products, where it adds thickness and improves texture — but Cabot Creamery's cottage cheese still has a generous 2.5 grams of saturated fat.

One of the most worrying potential impacts of carrageenan is its effect on the digestive system, and particularly on the colon. A review published in Carbohydrate Polymers discussed carrageenan's ability to cause colon inflammation, also known as colitis. This can result in a change in stools, abdominal pain, weight loss, and fatigue, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If you notice any of these symptoms, it's important to get in touch with a doctor or healthcare professional at the first opportunity.

Pineapple is often paired with cottage cheese, with its tart, sweet taste perfectly offsetting the creamier dairy notes. Dairy giant Kemps is never one to be outdone by competitors, and true to fashion it offers its own Cottage Cheese with Pineapple product. We've gotta say, though, we're not a fan of what's in it. This cottage cheese is both salty and sweet, containing 400 milligrams of sodium and 3 grams of added sugar per serving, both covering significant proportions of your daily value.

Kemps Cottage Cheese with Pineapple also has a slew of additional ingredients like cornstarch, guar and carbon bean gum, and carrageenan — which, to be honest, we'd rather not see in a pretty simple food product. Although its sugar content is pretty small compared to some other cottage cheeses out there, it's still important to take note of. It's also important to think about how you can cut down on sugar in your diet more generally, by opting for snack options that don't have added sugar and consuming fewer sugary drinks. Getting used to reading nutritional labels can be a crucial first step in controlling added sugar intake. ‌

It's fair to say that cottage cheese and peach is a pretty delicious combo. Knudsen knows this fact well, and its Peach Flavor Cottage Cheese Doubles is a serious crowd pleaser. However, you get a fair amount of sugar in a small serving size if you opt for this after-dinner treat, with 6 grams of added sugar in every portion. At 340 milligrams of sodium, this isn't the saltiest option out there, but its sodium content is still notable and contributes pretty significantly to your overall recommended daily value of 2,300 milligrams.

Both sodium and sugar intake can affect hypertension, but while most people are pretty aware of sodium's effect, fewer folks are aware of how sugar impacts it. Sugar can reduce the amount of nitric oxide in your blood, which can then narrow your blood vessels and lead to higher blood pressure. Consuming added sugar can also make you more sensitive to the impact of sodium on your blood pressure, with the two going hand in hand to promote hypertension. While this cottage cheese product has relatively small amounts of both nutrients, over time things can add up.

Ah, cottage cheese with pineapple. A combination that can be relied on to deliver flavor, and to supply you with a lot of sugar in one go. Friendship Dairies Cottage Cheese with Pineapple is no exception. This cottage cheese may be pleasingly low in sodium, containing just 300 milligrams, but it also has a high 15 grams of total sugars per serving. Although some of these sugars will naturally come from the pineapple that's included in the recipe, much of it will likely come from the sugar listed on the ingredients list (which also lists maltodextrin, carrageenan, several types of gums, and artificial flavors and colors).

Although added sugar is the type we need to keep an eye on most closely, it's important to consider the amount of total sugar we eat as well. The more sugar we eat, the harder our pancreas has to work, which can eventually create a strain and affect its ability to produce insulin. This can increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.