These two dairy products are often consumed and good for health, but dietitians still have a preference.
For breakfast, as a snack or for dessert, yogurts and cottage cheeses are essential and will please young and old alike. They are, in addition, good sources of vitamin D and calcium, therefore fitting perfectly into a balanced diet. If they look the same, they are not prepared the same way. Yogurt is made with milk inoculated with two very specific lactic acid bacteria: lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. Cottage cheese is prepared from a mixture of lactic ferments and milk, which will then be curdled. It is then filtered and beaten.
Which of the two is healthier? For yogurt, it is already better to choose a natural yogurt rather than a fruit yogurt. “Prefer natural products to fruit or flavored yogurts, which are less processed and less sweet,” recommends Lucia Radessi, dietitian nutritionist, to Current woman.
Furthermore, due to its texture, we might think that fromage blanc is fatter. In reality, the difference is quite small. Its average fat content is around 3% compared to 1 to 2% for natural yogurt. While we should not consume excessive amounts, fat is also “one of those key nutrients that tells our brain that we have eaten and that we feel full,” recalls Whitney Linsenmeyer, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, at TODAY.
But although it contains slightly more fat, cottage cheese has a major advantage over natural yogurt: it is rich in protein, almost twice as much as its competitor, with 7 to 8g per 100g. It is often recommended for this property during diets to avoid snacking. However, natural yogurt contains more calcium: 138mg compared to 113mg per 100g.
So ultimately which one to favor? According to nutritionists, the best is natural yogurt. “A natural yogurt contains only 5 to 6g of carbohydrates and only lactose (milk sugar)”, underlines Raphaël Gruman, nutritionist, with Top Healthto justify this choice. Without forgetting, in addition to its nutritional benefits, this yogurt promotes digestion.
If natural yogurt can be considered too bland, it is better to add a little honey rather than sugar, as dietician Alexandra Murcier explains to Top Health : “I recommend choosing a natural yogurt, even if it means adding a little honey in it, so as to control the quantity of added sugar.”