Cottage cheese rant !!!!
 

Hi gang :
Brand new here. Let us start with a bang, shall we, and that is with a rant !! :devil:


This is what is driving me crazy about cottage cheese. I only eat organic produce and dairy products, and what I find so annoying is that that they have removed the pesticides, hormones....and other nasties but..............it has so much salt in it that my ankles swell up just reading the label !!
Seriously there are 2 brands of organic cottage cheese available where I am and they have 450 mgs of sodium for a half a cup !!! I normally have a cup, with some olives, basil thrown in and that is just so much salt. I have to compensate by drinking another 6-7 glasses of water per day so that my weight loss does not slow down due to water retention. Why make it healthier on the one hand then destroy it in another form ??? :?:

Well maybe with so much salt in it reduce your intake from 1 cup to maybe 1/3 cup, or even 1/4 cup every other day, and in place of it drink a glass of milk on the days you don't have cottage cheese. Because that is quite a bit. Your dairy products can be anything, don't limit it to just cottage cheese. So have 1/3 cup, or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, and maybe later on have some sliced cheese, or something... Who knows. Jus an idea.

Just a suggestion, maybe you want to dump the dairy altogether?

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I enjoy this tofu recipe in place of cottage cheese. You can add as little or as much salt as you like :)

Originally Posted by :
Tofu "Cottage Cheese" with pineapple

BRYANNA'S TOFU "COTTAGE CHEESE" (A Weight Watchers Core Plan recipe)

This is delicious with chives and/or chopped vegetables, or with pineapple tidbits.

1 lb medium-firm tofu, mashed coarsely and drained
2/3 cup firm or extra-firm SILKEN tofu
1 Tbs lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar or alternate
OPTIONAL:
1/ 14 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of the salt on the mashed tofu in a medium bowl. In the food processor mix the silken tofu, remaining salt, sugar and lemon juice until VERY smooth. Scoop into the bowl with the mashed tofu and mix gently. Refrigerate.

Servings: 5
Yield: 2 and 1/2 c.

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup): 86.1 calories; 47% calories from fat; 4.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 306.2mg sodium; 157.2mg potassium; 2.7g carbohydrates; 0.3g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 2.4g net carbs; 9.4g protein; 2.1 points.

NUTRITION FACTS WITH 14 OZ. CAN PINEAPPLE TIDBITS (DRAINED) ADDED:

Nutrition (per serving): 133.7 calories; 30% calories from fat; 5.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 307.0mg sodium; 255.6mg potassium; 15.1g carbohydrates; 1.3g fiber; 11.9g sugar; 13.8g net carbs; 9.8g protein; 2.8 points.

Originally Posted by FairyVickie:
Why make it healthier on the one hand then destroy it in another form ??? :?:

I think the issue is that "organic" is not a promise of any sort of health benefit-it's just a statement about how it is produced. Organic foods can be as full of salt and fat as non-organic foods. I think the tofu recipe posted above looks really good (I'm going to give it a try myself!).

I think perhaps you may be right. I guess I sort of assumed that because the product is organic that would be they were interested in making an all around more healthy product, but I guess not.
Re : tofu. I do not eat it anymore. I have an extremely long history -25 years, more than half my life actually, of an eating disorder. I have played around with my diet for years trying this that and the other to find something that works. I would prefer to be totally animal free at all times. Can not do it. I do not eat beans very much as they have too many carbs for the little protein they offer ( I exercise quite a bit ) and I am diabetic. I avoid wheat, so I do not eat seitan anymore, and it is too high in salt anyhow, and I stopped eating soy as I found it to be true in my case like many others on messageboards that it really slows down my thyroid. I had a 9 week plateau, as soon as I dumped the soy, the scale moved. So sadly, for the animals, I eat dairy. Not excessively, but perhaps a cup of cottage cheese a day at most. I do not eat eggs either.
Diet is mainly Quorn for protein ( I know it has egg whites :(
Organic fruit, vegetables, olive oil, almonds, almond milk, rice protein shakes.... I am just stating what is working for me, I am not preaching to anybody or getting anybody to agree with me at all. If I could get my 70 grams of protein a day from taking 2 pills and living the rest of the day on fruit, veggies and the like I would.

I'm not sure what your exact diet plan is, but avoiding beans (a great--sodium-free--source of fiber and protein) and including fruit (also very healthy, but a source of carbs) seems contradictory. Three ounces of apple has about as much carbohydrate as a half cup of beans--but the beans have about six grams of protein more than the apple. I'm not trying to discount the fruit--I eat a lot of it. I just think that beans have a lot to offer as well.

If you're got something that works for you, that's good. However, there is at least one person on the forums who is following a low-carb vegan diet. If you're interested, SoulBliss might have some more information on how to transition to a vegan diet that would meet your goals.

As for the "organic" stuff, I think it's a common misconception that if something is certified organic that means it is healthier or better for the animals that are used to produce it or that the companies behind it are somehow more concerned for our well-being. Some companies that produce organic foods may have our best interests at heart, but it's really just a legal label. The burden for determining the health impact of the foods is still in the hands of the consumer.

Originally Posted by betsysunqueen:
I think the issue is that "organic" is not a promise of any sort of health benefit-it's just a statement about how it is produced. Organic foods can be as full of salt and fat as non-organic foods. I think the tofu recipe posted above looks really good (I'm going to give it a try myself!).

So true! You could make chocolate cake that is complete organic, but that doesn't make it any healthier than non-organic chocolate cake. I guess it wouldn't have chemicals and pesticides in it, but it still wouldn't be exactly health food.

Lately, I've been mixing my cottage cheese with nonfat Greek yogurt. I find it to be a fabulous combination. I use 1/2 serving of each, to equal a whole serving of dairy. The cottage cheese adds some substance to the yogurt and the yogurt adds some creaminess to the cottage cheese. In your case, it would cut the sodium in the cottage cheese in half (since you'd be using half as much cottage cheese). I think yogurt is a lot lower in sodium than cottage cheese, at least the yogurt I buy is (it less than one-fifth the sodium in my cottage cheese).

It's full of salt because SALT IS AN ORGANIC PRESERVATIVE increasing the shelf life as opposed to the chemical preservatives they put in conventional cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese and a green apple is the best late night snack to have if your hungry after dinner.

Just limit sodium in other ways like cut out diet soda, or use low sodium salt for your cooking. Sodium is essential and our bodies need it, just don't go over board with it.

Thank you all for your suggestions/remarks/comments and opionions on my thread.

Have a good one.

If you have diabetes, maybe you would be interested in Dr Bernard's program for reversing diabetes? Beans are an integral part of the program as well as other things. If I remember right, for those that have followed the diet in studies, 95% have reversed their diabetes while medications were reduced for the other 5%.

Thank you Nelie :
I have read Dr Barnard's book. He is extremely pro-vegan, and I have nothing but respect for vegans, they are compassion in action. However for me I find it too restrictive, as dairy has to go in all forms and he is even not very much in favor of olive oil. Ditto for Dr Macdougall.
But I do thank you for your suggestion.

For his program to work 'perfectly' as he would probably state, then yes dairy does have to go. I do think the ideas are good to implement, even if you don't implement them all the way.

Something else you may be interesting in is South Beach Diet and/or New Glucose revolution. Both state that beans (and seitan) are great sources of protein for diabetics or anyone else with insulin 'issues'.

I guess I'm just shocked at someone who doesn't eat beans with reasoning of too many carbs/not enough protein. Beans are one of my main sources of protein, along with lots of veggies.

Originally Posted by nelie:
I guess I'm just shocked at someone who doesn't eat beans with reasoning of too many carbs/not enough protein. Beans are one of my main sources of protein, along with lots of veggies.

Same here. I eat beans every day as part of my self-created vegan "good carb" plan--in fact, I've eaten beans liberally at every phase of my weight loss journey and consistently lost weight or maintained my loss (1. calorie-counting low fat vegetarian, 2. whole foods omnivore, 3. South Beach, 4. whole foods vegan). I know everybody has to find what works for them, but I'm confused by the thinking behind this.

Hello :
I thought things thru a bit last nite and for a few reasons have decided to try veganism and cut out the cottage and yougurt and see what results from improvement with my sugar levels and weight. Would be a big help also with my very limited means at the moment.
I am not really getting too much love on this board, I do not think I will post here again, sadly. :(
I seem to be either confusing people, turning them off or shocking them based on most of the responses I have been getting.
Thanks just the same.

Fairy,

When I said I was shocked, it was more like well I don't understand anyone who doesn't eat beans because I love them and think they are a great source of protein. I don't think anyone was trying to be critical of you and saying you are doing something wrong. I hope you do stick around.

Veganism seems intimidating at first (although I went from eating meat and all sorts of animal products to eating no animal products) but it is wonderful.

You are welcome here and I'm sorry you don't feel that way. I am glad to have anyone around who limits their animal products in any way.

Dear Nelie :
Forgive me if I jumped to any conclusions. I am afraid I am a rather sensitive soul, and just sort of felt I was not a 'good enough veggie' to be welcome here.
If I misunderstood your meaning or anybody else's for that matter, than please forgive me.
Today was my first vegan day. Just lovely !! Had ****ake mushrooms with pinto beans in tomato puree, olive oil and basil. ( I am Italian, so favor Mediterrean style cooking a bit ). Had a great rice protein shake made with almond milk, organic pear and raspberry compote and a bottle of mineral water !
Weigh in tomorrow at WW, so am hoping for a second successful week. More importantly as I test my sugar daily, hope to see that number go down slowly until I can maintain it to under 100 every day. ( I am testing most days now between 99-117 ).
Anyhow, I will stick around, and hope nobody here holds anything against me.
Have a great weekend all.

:)

What happened to the name of my mushroom ??? It is not a swear word !!!!

lol !!!! :)

Sounds lovely.

One thing I also recommend is looking into some vegan cookbooks for ideas. My library carries a few vegan cookbooks (wish they carried more) so if funds are limited, that is a good option. Also, I love fatfree.com and fatfreevegan.com for nice, healthy recipes.

Thanx Nelie :
Am marking those websites down to look up new vegan receipes.
I am lucky that Brooklyn public library's main branch has 1.5 million books, so I am sure I will find a few interesting things there.
Reading ' Mediterrean Women stay slim too' right now. Not very vegan friendly though, receipes in there for rabbit, fish, meat, milk, cheese. Just reading it for an overview of the philosophy. Maybe I will also have a quick look at the Sonoma book, but I think, it has meat in that too.

:)

Originally Posted by FairyVickie:
Hello :

I am not really getting too much love on this board, I do not think I will post here again, sadly. :(
I seem to be either confusing people, turning them off or shocking them based on most of the responses I have been getting.
Thanks just the same.

Hey, I'm sorry if any of my comments made you feel that way. I was trying to understand what the philosophy behind your eating plan was and if my questions caused offense, then I sincerely apologize.

For Betsy.
 

Hi Betsy :


Thank you for your message. I have a chronic problem with sensitivity and I guess perhaps, as I mentioned to Nelie earlier, that I jumped to conclusions that I was not good enough to be here and was not really wanted.

But hope you and everybody else on this board will be pleased that I kicked the topic around last nite and decided to ditch the dairy. Went shopping today and my basket was filled with almond milk, organic fruit and veggies, 2 bottles of mineral water, 4 varieties of beans.................
Not only will this ease my very limited budget, will ease my conscience as well, as I really did want to lead an animal free dependance as much as I could.
I am glad to be here !!!
A good weekend all.

:bunny2:

Whatever you decide to eat, you'll be welcome here* and I promise to stay on my very best behavior!

*except for puppies. please don't eat puppies! :D

For Betsysunqueen.
 

Ok, great !!!

Don't worry about your behavior, my fault.

OH btw : I won't eat any puppies, if you promise not to eat any hamsters !!!!

:rofl::thanks:

FairyVickie - I'm glad you decided to stick around!

Be sure to visit the Post Punk Kitchen for recipes and cooking advice. The forums there are great too. :cool:

Hi Shananigans :

Thank you, I too am glad I am sticking around !! Thank you for putting me on the scent of a vegan website, where recipes and other info can be had.

Just came back from WW, week 3. Lost 1.8 pounds this week and 4.6 last, so now over 6, so a good start anyhow.

Also am going to check out fatfreevegan too and see what they have on offer.

Have a great weekend !!!


:mouse:

I love PPK! I have both of their cookbooks on my desk right now, awaiting a new shopping list :)

Just wanted to say :bravo: on giving up dairy and going for beans!! There's plenty of help around these parts and recommendations given by others. I was intimidated at first but saying :nono: to dairy has not been a problem at all!

Fao : Fbbg.
 

Hello there !!

Thank you for vote of confidence and support !! I am awfully glad I ditched the dairy now myself. I just hate being such an animal lover ( and rescuer ) all my animals apart from the hamsters have been strays in need of help or abandoned animals at birth, but eating products made from them.

This decision will not only benefit my health and hopefully finally give me normal blood sugar readings on a daily, but will give my conscience a break too. Lord knows I have enough guilt about other things !! :D

I look forward to signing on here every day, I have received lots of nice messages from the ladies around here both food wise and in my life right now.

Glad to be here. Have a great Sunday !!

:wave:

Sorry should have read ' FAO : FCBG . !!

Originally Posted by FairyVickie:
This is what is driving me crazy about cottage cheese. I only eat organic produce and dairy products, and what I find so annoying is that that they have removed the pesticides, hormones....and other nasties but..............it has so much salt in it that my ankles swell up just reading the label !!
Seriously there are 2 brands of organic cottage cheese available where I am and they have 450 mgs of sodium for a half a cup !!!

Word! As I posted in another thread (in reply to you in fact), too many ccs do taste like wallpaper paste, but the *right* cc (for my Minnesota taste it's Land'o Lakes 1%: I know it's not organic, but then I'm not a pure vegetarian or one who insists on organic, just somebody who enjoys veggie meals and appreciates the calorie savings, and if they're organic so much the better) is the food of the gods. But now I'm trying to cut back on my sodium intake, and yeah, it's over 400 mg sodium per serving (I don't remember if their serving is 1/3 or 1/2 cup: too damn much either way), and the wallpaper paste brands are no better as far as sodium content. I noticed that Whole Foods has Friendship products, and they have 1% no-salt-added cc (50 mg/serving), so on my most recent trip there I reckoned it was worth a try. Well, on my first tentative taste it tasted like *low-sodium* wallpaper paste! Oh well, I'll try to finish it and Mrs. Dash it to taste, and after that I guess I'll go back to L'oL and just have to eat it less often :shrug:

Also, I think the name of that mushroom is spelled with two "i"s: shiitake