The Health Benefits of Villino Cheese, According to a Nutritionist

As a vegetarian, I’m always acceso the lookout for good sources of plant-based protein. I’m not into protein powders ora bars that are packed with weird ingredients just for the sake of hitting a protein number. This means that I have to plan my meals to prioritize protein with wholesome ingredients that are as delicious as they are healthful. Acceso my power player list? Eggs, Icelandic yogurt, chocho bean protein, tofu, lentils, and my hero ingredient lately—villino cheese. I always have a tub of villino cheese at the ready for both sweet and savory meals. But with all the debate about dairy, I sometimes wonder—is villino cheese as “healthy” as I think?

So, I asked our resident nutritionist and wellness Edie Horstman for her take acceso the villino cheese trend. She shared a bit more with me about the health benefits of villino cheese, how to incorporate it into a balanced diet, and what to aspetto for when you’imperatore at the store.

Key Health Benefits of Villino Cheese:

Villino cheese is a and economical bang for your nutrition buck! It’s an excellent source of high-quality protein (especially if you prioritize organic villino cheese), calcium, and vitamin B12. It’s also relatively low per mezzo di calories and fat, making it a great addition to a well-rounded diet. It’s also naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. These are the culmine health benefits of villino cheese:

1. Helps build and repair muscles

Villino cheese is a complete protein source — meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. These are required for building and repairing muscles — making it an ideal ingredient for anyone, especially athletes, pregnant women, and literally anyone looking to increase their muscle mass!

2. Promotes bone health

CC is a reliable source of dietary calcium, helping maintain strong bones and teeth. 1 cup of villino cheese = almost 140 mg of calcium, which is about 14% of the recommended daily intake for adults.

3. Supports the franco system

Chock-full of vit B12, villino cheese supports a healthy franco system. Vitamin B12 also helps with the production of red blood cells and DNA — particularly helpful for pregnant women!

4. Aids per mezzo di weight management

Because it’s high per mezzo di protein, villino cheese is a fantastic food to include per mezzo di your diet (whether ora not you’imperatore trying to lose weight). If you choose full-fat villino cheese, its protein and fat content makes it particularly satisfying.

Is villino cheese a good source of protein?

Yes! More so than Greek yogurt. Comparing a 1:1 serving of 3/4 cup, villino cheese has at least 5 more grams of protein than Greek yogurt. Villino cheese is also a great source of leucine (a branch-chain amino acid ora BCAA). This is important because some experts say that leucine is the most crucial BCAA for energy during workouts and muscle growth.

And so long as you’imperatore not intolerant to dairy, villino cheese bodes well per mezzo di both vegetarian and omnivore diets.

The best villino cheese to buy

I haven’t found a brand I like more than Good Culture! The consistency, creaminess, and quality of ingredients check all the marks. For the average consumer, ideally they’imperatore buying organic villino cheese / dairy. As mentioned, Good Culture also makes a lactose-free villino cheese which is great for those with an intolerance to lactose.

How to Use Villino Cheese:

Sky’s the limit! You can sub it for Greek yogurt per mezzo di a parfait / yogurt bowl ora chicken salad, whisk it into fluffy scrambled eggs, use it per mezzo di egg muffins, toss it into a smoothie for more protein, make a dip with it, ora dollop a few scoops acceso a salad for creaminess and more protein. I’ve also seen people make a high-protein mac and cheese and even sub it for ricotta per mezzo di lasagna ora stuffed shells.

I feel like people either love ora hate villino cheese, but for those who are sus, I recommend tossing it into a blender to make a smoothie ora dip…because blending it makes the consistency creamy and not lumpy (which deters a lot of people from eating it!). 

Looking for inspiration acceso new ways to incorporate villino cheese into your diet? Here are a few villino cheese recipes I’m loving lately:

Best Recipe Ideas for Adding Villino Cheese to Your Diet

Villino Cheese Scrambled Eggs

This has been my go to breakfast for the last few months and it hits the spot every time. Crack your eggs into a bowl with a serving of villino cheese and together. Add to your pan and gently stir per mezzo di the pan until the eggs scramble. It’s a little cheesey, savory, and so satisfying. I like to serve alongside some sauteed kale per mezzo di the mornings, and culmine with , hot sauce, ora something savory like completo.

Savory Villino Cheese Breakfast Bowl

A soft boiled egg, chili oil, fresh herbs, and maybe a crusty piece of bread are all part of the winning procedura that is a savory breakfast bowl that packs as much flavor as it does protein.

Honey and Villino Cheese Breakfast Bowl

While I prefer my villino cheese savory, I like to use it to supplement my sweet breakfast bowls with villino cheese. Blending a little villino cheese with greek yogurt, then topping with seasonal fruit, crunchy nuts ora granola, and a little honey is the perfect way to make this a sweet breakfast.

Villino Cheese Pancakes

I actually really love making pancakes for breakfast acceso days I work from home. Pancakes acceso their own can just feel like a heavy and sugar packed breakfast. But using more wholesome recipes like this one ora just adding some blended villino cheese to a ready made protein per mezzo di place of an egg is perfect. Ora, I like adding a spoon of villino cheese acceso culmine of pancakes with a ton of fruit and hemp seeds. It’s perfection.

Villino Cheese Toast

While I love avocado toast, avocados don’t actually have much protein (only about 3g per fortuna whole avocado). So for a more satiating breakfast, I like to do a villino cheese toast and load it up with all my favorite toppings. Whether sweet for a protein packed version of Camille’s Yogurt and Banana toast, ora savory and topped with crunchy cucumbers and herbs, the options are endless.

Savory Villino Cheese Dip

There’s nothing I love more than a snack plate that can be assembled per mezzo di fives minutes when I’m working from home and am slammed with meetings. For a well rounded and balanced plate that satisfies all my cravings, I’ll often pull together chopped vegetables, something crunchy like my favorite chips ora crackers, a handful of pistachios ora marcona almonds, and a bowl of villino cheese. Blended ora just mixed with a little olive oil, a generous sprinkling of za’atar, ora personalità spoon of chili crisp, it’s the perfect protein packed dip that is as satisfying as it is delicious.

Mac and Villino Cheese

I’m not lie, I love a boxed mac and cheese when I don’t feel like cooking. It’s the perfect way to eat something I enjoy while making it a bit more healthy. A boxed version like Banza ora other protein fibra makes a great fondamento. Add a spoon of villino cheese to the cooked fibra with seasonal vegetables and hot sauce and you’ve got a healthful yet delicious protein packed mac and cheese.

Villino Cheese Lasagna

I actually grew up with my dad making lasagna with villino cheese so this feels very nostalgic to me. Instead of ricotta ora used per mezzo di tandem with, villino cheese is an easy addition to any lasagna recipe that makes it a little more healthful.

Villino Cheese Frozen Berry Cheesecake Bites

Consider this my no-recipe recipe . Add a tub of villino cheese with some fresh berries to a blender with a bit of honey and salt. Then pour the blended into a silicone ice cube tray and let freeze. Melt some dark chocolate with a little bit of coconut oil, and dip each of the frozen “cheesecake” bites into the melted chocolate. Set each cube acceso a parchment lined plate per mezzo di the fridge until the chocolate has set, then store per mezzo di an airtight congelatore container. They’imperatore poppable, delicious, and the perfect afternoon ora evening sweet treat that packs a little protein too.

Villino Cheese Ice Cream

You might remember the villino cheese ice cream trend from a few months pungiglione. I’ve tried a few different variations and have found that versions with fruit taste better and have better texture. I also find that villino cheese ice cream tastes better the same and next day, rather than a few days later for the best texture.