Several reasons to eat cottage cheese

It is well known that quark fits in a low-calorie diet. Cottage cheese is lean and healthy and you can start the day with it, for example. It contains few kilocalories and slow proteins. All this does not alter the fact that curd cheese is often viewed unilaterally. Cottage cheese is a versatile product that can be used in various ways. How does quark come about and how can we best use quark?

What is quark / how does it come about?

Quark is actually a fresh cheese that comes from cow's milk, sheep's milk or goat's milk. It should be noted here that according to the Dutch Commodities Act, quark must in fact only be made up of cow's milk. Lactic acid bacteria are added to the milk, followed by rennet. Rennet contains digestive enzymes found in the stomach of every mammal. Once it has been at room temperature for 24 hours, the substance can be cut and placed in quarter bags. Finally, the mass is stirred well.

Feed Cottage cheese has the property that it is healthy (based on slow proteins and few kilocalories), whereby we have to make the nuance that it is preferably low-fat cottage cheese. The lean version contains 77 kilocalories per 100 grams of cottage cheese. It is known that low-fat products are not always as healthy as is suggested, but low-fat quark has a lot of (slow) proteins and is indeed a healthy product. Slow proteins have the advantage that they are released in doses and are thus absorbed into the body. Proteins do well in building muscles and a bowl of cottage cheese can be of added value after exercise, for example. Semi-skimmed and full-fat quark also have many nutrients, but also significantly more fats and calories. This is due to the cream that is added to it in many cases. Cottage cheese contains a lot of calcium, which is good for the bones and teeth, and it also transports other minerals to the various body cells. All in all, it's a relatively inexpensive way to get a lot of protein.

Quark is also a filler, because a container of (low-fat) quark replaces just a few sandwiches. A slice of bread, depending on whether you use white or brown bread, contains between 75 and 95 kilocalories. Toppings also vary widely, for example, lean smoked meat contains only 15 kilocalories, but cheese starts at 50 kilocalories in the 20+ variant. Besides the fact that quark is leaner, it contains good nutrients and it is filling. For example, combine it with some pieces of fresh fruit and you will also have those essential nutrients. With lots of fruit and nuts you can also make a super healthy shake in the blender. More than enough substances to be burned for a half day.

There are various brands that offer quark in all kinds of compositions, but caution is advised with these variants. Some contain more than some fruit, because sometimes yogurt is added and / or factory-prepared juices (see also the many E-numbers on the packaging). Juices that have little to do with real fruit juice. So always take a good look at the label when you buy such a product or go to the organic store to be sure. The product is slightly more expensive there.

The most famous variant is the box of quark with pieces of fruit in it. It combines extremely well and almost all types of fruit can be combined with quark, whereby several types at the same time are also fine. From red and blueberries to blackberries, kiwi, banana, pear or passion fruit. If you want to use the juice it is good to bind it slightly, otherwise the quark may become too watery.

The well-known superfoods * are often combined in the blender with fruit and yoghurt. Superfoods can also be combined with quark, however. Fruits, nuts, seeds or even vegetables. Quark has a fairly neutral taste and can therefore be combined with everything.

You can also make a cup of curd cheese sweeter with some jam or honey. The normal jam and honey contain quite a few calories. So when it comes to a low-calorie meal, limit this variety to a scoop of low-calorie jam. Various brands have these in their range. Of course you can also add some juice from fresh fruit to make the quark slightly sweeter.

If you puree curd cheese, you can, possibly with an addition, also make a great salad on toast. On a bed of fresh lettuce with a little basil or chives with or without pepper and a cherry tomato. But you can also mix in broken walnuts. Take wholemeal toast to keep it healthy or cut chunky cucumber slices and apply the mixture on top. Healthy and refreshing.

Everyone knows that eating too late is not really good, but a bowl of low-fat quark is an exception. More and more people realize that a container of quark contains few calories and does not immediately feel heavy on the stomach, which is great when you go to sleep. Moreover, it contains the slow proteins. As a result, the body is busy releasing growth hormones during sleep (during REM sleep), and the body thus has enough nutrients to provide the muscles with the necessary nutrients. This is important for recovery and growth. Besides the fact that it is tasty, another reason to take quark for dessert, for example!

Quark is healthy, especially the lean variety, we can safely say that. Take it after physical exertion for muscle building or for a low-calorie but full breakfast. Do not forget to look at the label for the ready-made version. Better yet, add some fruit and / or nuts yourself and you can be sure that you are still getting rid of a healthy meal. Enjoy it too!