Is it bad to have too much dairy?

I generally find myself eating: cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese, and other various cheeses every day.

I'm probably getting a fine amount of dairy, but I was wondering if it is possible to have too much? I think I grew up with a mindset of having to eat more dairy because I have never been able to drink milk. So my parents made me get calcium in other ways.

I guess my main concern is that is there a certain amount of cottage cheese I should be sticking to every day? I eat it every morning at breakfast but I love it so much that I pretty much am able to use it in everything I cook....does it get to a point where too much is not good?

Thanks :)

How much are you eating exactly? I don't really see a problem with it, as long as you're watching your saturated fat content.

for breakfast i generally have 1/2 cup of yogurt with a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese

as a snack i'll have one string cheese

and then i really dont know how much other cheese i eat, it varies. sometimes i have a LOT and other times i just have a little.

and if i make whole wheat pasta that night, i'll use a 1/2 cup cottage cheese to make it kind of lasagna-y

then sometimes i'll make a dessert out of cottage cheese.

come to think of it, it all varies. i just want to make sure im allowed to have a lot if i want. ha

I love cottage cheese too! I generally have no more than a cup a day because I figured I shouldn't over-eat it. But it goes with everything, and it's so tasty and filling! I add it to steamed veggies (2 cups veggies and 1/4 cottage cheese) for added protein and flavor, and I have it on toast with black pepper. Mmmm, so tasty!

I probably can't afford to eat more than a cup a day, but I'll be watching this thread to see if other people weigh in on the health benefits/problems of lots of (low fat!) cottage cheese.

i dont see a problem with it so as long as its not the full-fat versions

It's possible to have too much of any kind of food.  But as long as you're also getting your 5 servings a day or fruit/veg and it's not interfering with getting a varied diet, you're fine.

If you eat a lot of cheese, you'll want to watch your sodium levels, though.  Cheese can be quite salty - and you want to be consuming less than 2400 mg sodium a day.

I love dairy too. But I recently read the book Skinny Bitch. I don't know if you've heard of it, but it said that too much dairy causes cellulite...just dont over eat it and excercise and you'll be fine. :)

I think dairy in general can cause weight gain due to the fat content but it is a good source of calcium. Dairy can cause gas for some people too.

It's the balance that's the issue.  If you're eating too much of one thing it means you're risking not getting a varied diet... which is vital for good health and also stops a weight-loss programme getting boring.   Because of the salt content, keep the yoghurt but try limiting cheese to every other day and make a conscious effort to eat other things instead.  You can get calcium from dark green vegetables, for example.  Protein in the shape of meat, fish, eggs, tofu or beans.   Variety is the spice of life... you could surprise yourself and find new favourites.

Original Post by jenny8484:

i dont see a problem with it so as long as its not the full-fat versions

I don't see a problem even if it is the full fat version, people are too afraid of dietary fat, fat is good for you. 

Listen to your body.  Everybody's body reacts a little differently to different foods.

Dairy for me is rarely a good idea in more than just a very limited amount.  I get all stopped up, I break out, and I feel doughy.  Doesn't matter if it's low fat or not.  Which is a shame because I love cottage cheese - but a little too well.  That's the other problem for me.  Foods like cottage cheese and yogurt are "triggers" for me - I want more and more and more the more I have.  One of those foods I have to WATCH it with, or I go a-binging.

There's no such thing as too much dairy unless you're lactose-intolerant or allergic... it doesn't sound like you're having 'too much' anyway. Drinking a gallon of milk in a couple of days would be bad for anyone but you're having about three servings of dairy a day and that's nowhere near 'too much' for good health. Just watch the sodium. Cottage cheese is very salty.

I keep seeing comments about cottage cheese being bad because of it's high sodium content. Now granted, MOST cottage cheeses have a lot of sodium, but unsalted versions do exist. Friendship makes an unsalted version that has only 50mg of sodium per serving, versus the usual 360-400. Friendship is also one of the better brands that has a simple ingredient list (no added starches and gums, etc)....usually just milk and cream (the fat free one may be the exception).

Personally, I love cottage cheese, and didn't understand people's aversions to it until I tried Kraft's version (South Beach living and Breakstone's)....I couldn't finish them, had to dump them. They had tons of extra stuff in the ingredients, and had a higher sugar content. Being used to the cheeses with no added junk, I just couldn't stomach it. And considering brands like Breakstones are probably what most poeple would buy, I'm not surprised to hear people don't like cottage cheese. So if you haven't tried Friendship (or a similar kind - Key Food brand is good, too), I highly recommend it. And I do not work for them - I just think cottage cheese often gets treated unfairly.

Ok, end of rant.