You have probably heard that live cultures (probiotics) are beneficial to the body, but what exactly are they? Some people associate live cultures with yogurt, but does cottage cheese have live cultures? We have the answers.
What Are Live Cultures?
Live cultures are added to some dairy products (notably yogurt) during manufacturing to help ferment the milk to create a desired texture and/or to provide health benefits to the consumer. Live cultures are known as a good bacteria since they are beneficial to body when they make it to your belly. They may assist in digestion, boost the immune system, aid in the elimination of diarrhea, help reduce lactose intolerance problems, ease constipation problems, fend off bad bacteria, and more.
Does Cottage Cheese Have Live Culture?
Cottage cheese is a milk based dairy product similar to yogurt, but you never hear cottage cheese being touted for carrying live cultures or probiotics. It turns out some brands of cottage cheese do contain live cultures. It just isn’t that common to find in cottage cheese as it is in yogurt. Some brands of cottage cheese that have live cultures are Horizon Organic, Nancy’s Organic, and Breakstone’s LiveActive.
What To Look For?
A cottage cheese product will likely be labeled “Live and Active Cultures” or contain similar verbiage if it has live cultures. The ingredients may also indicate the strains of probiotics. Some typical strains are L. actobacillus L. Casei, and B. bifidum. Many brands will not have live cultures so it is important to read the label or check with the manufacture before buying.
Cottage Cheese Alternatives
There are alternatives to yogurt and cottage cheese if you are looking for the benefits of probiotics. Other food products that may have live cultures are tempeh, pickles, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, dark chocolate, miso soup, kombucha tea, soy milk, microalgae, and olives. There are also supplements that can be taken that are commonly in pill or powder form.
Conclusion
Cottage cheese with live cultures may not be easy to find, but there are popular brands that do contain probiotics. While cottage cheese is already considered by many to be a healthy food option, the addition of live cultures puts it into a top superfood category. We highly recommend probiotic cottage cheese over the traditional products if you can find it.
