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It started withwhipped cottage cheesetaking over the internet. Then, cottage cheese desserts became all the rage, withedible cookie doughandice creamhighlighting the cheese as a surprising protein-packed ingredient. Now, another cottage cheese dip is trending, but this one is … questionable.
Listen, we were fully expecting thecottage cheese trendto surge this summer. But I’m giving a bit of side-eye to this newest trend featuring cottage cheese and yellow mustard.
TikTok content creatorTiffany Elizabethclaimed that mixing cottage cheese and mustard into a dip and eating it with fruits, vegetables and chicken sausage has helped her in her weight-loss journey.
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All across her account, Elizabeth shares videos of herself diving into an iteration of this dish every single day. Her plate includes a mix of your classic healthy dippers like carrots and cauliflower as well as items like heart of palm, dragon fruit and Japanese white sweet potato. And a link or two of chicken sausage is almost always included. In her videos, she touts this meal as a staple in her healthy eating pattern and even credits it as a lunch that helped her lose 80 pounds.
Naturally, the internet is split. Is this the savory cottage cheese hack we’ve been waiting for, or is this mustardy dip taking the cheesy food trend way too far? Personally, I’m leaning toward the latter.
I’m not trying to yuck someone’s yum. If you truly enjoy the taste of this dip and find that it helps you eat more veggies, then go for it. But it’s not as if this dip combo is the ultimate healthy alternative to ranch or other dips and sauces. In fact, 2 teaspoons ofyellow mustardand a ¼-cup serving of2% cottage cheesetogether racks up about 800 milligrams of sodium, which exceedsthe recommended limit we stick towhen developing lunch recipes here at EatingWell. And that’s excluding the sodium from the rest of the meal. A single link ofchicken sausagealone will tack on another 460 milligrams of sodium to the meal.
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If you’re trying to lose weight, sodium isn’t typically a nutrient you focus on limiting, though—unless you’re trying to lose weight to help improve a different condition where limiting sodium is key, like diabetes or heart disease.
It looks like Elizabeth adds anywhere from ¼ to ⅓ cup of cottage cheese to her lunch bowl, which adds roughly 6 to 8 grams of protein to this dish—which is not nothing! But the majority of protein in Elizabeth’s lunch combo comes from the chicken sausage, which adds upward of 15 grams per link. Protein can help with weight loss, as it digests slowly, helping you feel more satisfied between meals. (Read moreon how a protein-rich diet can help with weight loss.) Plus, when paired with fiber, found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and healthy fats, found in foods like guacamole, nuts or seeds, you get even more satisfying staying power from your meal.
It’s not the cottage cheese-mustard combo itself but a combination of this dish’s components, especially the chicken sausage andfiber-packed produce, that have likely contributed more to Elizabeth’s weight loss.
So again, if you enjoy this viral cheesy dip, I won’t blame you or your taste buds. But also know that it’s totally OK to dip into creamy ranch or a dip of your liking if that’s really what you’re in the mood for. Sure, mustard is lower in calories than other dips. But that shouldn’t be the reason you reach for it instead of something you’ll truly enjoy. For an alternative protein-packed dip, hummus is an easy and delicious choice—try ourBlack Bean Hummusfor a bite that will keep you satiated.
For me, I’ll be sticking withDill Pickle DipandHomemade Ranch Dressingrecipes for coating my crunchy veggies.
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