You should not eat cottage cheese when it has gone bad and develops a strong sour, yeasty or ammonia like smell, or if the cottage cheese turns slimy is overly chunky or grainy or shows any signs of mold like green, black or pink colored mold or if the cottage cheese has any indication of bacterial growth.
Opened containers of cottage cheese last around 7 days in the refrigerator and unopened containers of cottage cheese last around 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Signs of spoiled cottage cheese are a sour, pungent or ammonia like smell, slimy, overly watery or a very chunk and or grainy texture, mold spots which can be pink, green, black or other discoloration, a sharp, overly tangy or unpleasant taste or even a swollen lid from gas produced by the bacteria.
If the cottage cheese is just slightly watery and has no mold or bad smell, it's often just due to whey separation, which you can stir back in, but overly watery or bad smells means the cottage cheese is bad and should be thrown out.
Cottage cheese is a good source of protein and the protein in cottage cheese is high quality protein, especially casein.
The high quality protein in cottage cheese, including the casein, helps with satiety, bone health and muscle building and muscle repair.
Cottage cheese is a nutrient dense food that is also popular for weight management, weight loss and balanced diets.
Although you should opt for cottage cheese that is lower in sodium and added sugars.
A single cup of cottage cheese provides around 25 grams to 27 grams of protein.
Cottage cheese contains all the essential amino acids that your body needs.
And cottage cheese is mostly casein protein, and it digests slowly, keeping you feeling full longer.
Cottage cheese is also rich in Vitamin B12, selenium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
And the high protein and low calories in cottage cheese also aid in feeling satisfied.
Some brands of cottage cheese, however can be high in sodium and added sugars, so check the label and opt for lower sugar and less sodium based cottage cheese.
And look for labels on cottage cheese, that indicates live cultures for gut health benefits as well.