Is cottage cheese keto friendly and healthy? One half cup of cottage cheese is less than 15 grams of carbs which is within the keto dietary limit. The keto diet is a low carb/high fat diet, and it pushes your body to use fat as its primary energy source for fuel. There are studies that have used the Ketogenic diet for people that have seizures.
Here is the nutritional information on the different types of cottage cheese and you can see how low the carbs intake is.

4% Full Fat- Cottage Cheese- Calories- 98, Carbs- 3 grams, Fat- 4 grams, Protein- 11 grams
2% Reduced Fat- Cottage Cheese- Calories- 81, Carbs- 5 grams, Fat- 2 grams, Protein- 10 grams
1% Reduced Fat-Cottage Cheese- Calories- 72, Carbs- 3 grams, Fat- 1 gram, Protein- 12 grams
Non-fat- Calories- 72, Carbs- 7 grams, Fat- 0 grams, Protein- 10 grams
Cottage cheese has a solid source of protein, but it is low in carbs which fits the keto dietary guidelines. The average fat content in plain cottage is cheese is about 4%. A serving of cottage cheese is part of the dairy foods and dairy products pyramid.
Here is the nutritional profile of one cup of cottage cheese.
Calories: 163
Protein- 28 grams
Carbs- 6.2 grams
Fat- 2.3 grams
Phosphorus- 24% of the Reference Daily Intake, (RDI)
Sodium- 30% of the RDI
Selenium- 37% of the RDI
vitamin b12- 59% of the RDI
Riboflavin- 29% of the RDI
Calcium- 11% of the RDI
Folate- 7% of the RDI
To stay in the ketosis range, you need to limit your carbs to 20 to 60 grams of carbs per day.
If you are going to consume cottage cheese it is best to go with sodium free or low sodium cottage cheese. Why? Because high sodium can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk for heart disease.
Cottage cheese is one of the more common foods for weight loss diets because it is high in protein and low in calories. Eating cottage cheese can help you become more fuller and help you eat less food like eggs. Studies have linked calcium and dairy consumption to reduction in weight and weight management.
“Cottage cheese is one of the more common foods for weight loss diets because it is high in protein and low in calories.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
Cottage cheese is also a common food for muscle gain because it is high in protein, and you need high protein foods to build muscle. Cottage cheese has casein protein and casein is slowly absorbed and promotes muscle gain and helps prevent muscle breakdown.
The Bottom Line is cottage cheese is a food that will help you stay in ketosis if you are on a keto diet. And it’s also a common food for muscle gain and weight loss. If you are trying to acquire health benefits from this, then try for low sodium cottage cheese or sodium free cottage cheese.
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References
- Sumithran P, Proietto J. Ketogenic diets for weight loss: A review of their principles, safety and efficacy. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2008 Mar;2(1):I-II. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2007.11.003. PMID: 24351673.
- Gasior M, Rogawski MA, Hartman AL. Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet. Behav Pharmacol. 2006 Sep;17(5-6):431-9. doi: 10.1097/00008877-200609000-00009. PMID: 16940764; PMCID: PMC2367001.
- Gershuni VM, Yan SL, Medici V. Nutritional Ketosis for Weight Management and Reversal of Metabolic Syndrome. Curr Nutr Rep. 2018 Sep;7(3):97-106. doi: 10.1007/s13668-018-0235-0. PMID: 30128963; PMCID: PMC6472268.
- Brehm BJ, Spang SE, Lattin BL, Seeley RJ, Daniels SR, D’Alessio DA. The role of energy expenditure in the differential weight loss in obese women on low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Mar;90(3):1475-82. doi: 10.1210/jc.2004-1540. Epub 2004 Dec 14. PMID: 15598683.
- USDA- Department of Agriculture- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172182/nutrients
- Gershuni VM, Yan SL, Medici V. Nutritional Ketosis for Weight Management and Reversal of Metabolic Syndrome. Curr Nutr Rep. 2018 Sep;7(3):97-106. doi: 10.1007/s13668-018-0235-0. PMID: 30128963; PMCID: PMC6472268.