My Favorite Things ~ Good Culture
Move over Greek Yogurt, cottage cheese is making a comeback! BUT...beware, not all dairy products are created equally. Good Culture's product is supreme, they care about their animals and are helping the environment through regenerative grazing. Good Culture is a company whose mission I can stand behind and I want to shout about from the rooftops! They are my new favorite and Irvine, CA just made my travel list!
Good Culture is a food brand launched in 2015 that sought to transform the way the average consumer understands cottage cheese. According to co-founders, Anders Eisner and Jesse Merril, “cottage cheese has long been one of our high-protein go-to’s. But it was always a challenge to find a quality cottage cheese that wasn’t loaded with bad stuff and grandma’s watery curd just wasn’t cutting it.” Before Good Culture hit the market, the only cottage cheese products available for purchase at the grocery store were filled with several additives and chemical preservatives. Studies have found that these common food preservatives have been linked to the obesity epidemic, inflammatory bowel diseases, and metabolic disorders.
According to Merril, Good Culture believes that “Inflammation is the root cause of all disease in the body, so we are very firm about not using these types of ingredients. I’m a big believer in food as medicine.” Good Culture cottage cheese products are completely free from all additives including stabilizers, thickeners, and other artificial preservatives. They source their dairy from ONLY pasture-raised cattle and are committed to delivering high protein, organic, and non-GMO ingredients.
Most dairy farms and cattle operations confine cows to small stalls at all times and pump their poor moo-cows full of antibiotics and growth hormones which contaminate milk products. Growth hormones in dairy cattle have been linked to changes in endocrine function, among other adverse health effects.
Not only is this inhumane and unnatural, the overcrowding conditions are also a major contributor to environmental contamination.
Responsible and small scale animal farms can play a key role in healthy diets that contribute to the ecological restoration of ecosystems. Good Culture practices regenerative grazing, a principle-driven agricultural practice of building soil health by managing livestock on perennial and annual forages, and in a way that supports human and ecosystem health, farm profitability, and community and food system resilience. Regenerative grazing is one approach of regenerative agriculture, a type of agriculture which aims to rejuvenate agricultural landscapes and communities, not degrade or just sustain them. This holistic livestock management practice has been shown to be able to reverse desertification, capture enormous amounts of carbon, and restore soil health. Cattle raised on pasture are also healthier and happier, and their dairy products are higher in protein and free from some of the chemical and antibiotic residues so common in industrially raised animals.
Meril explains “Good Culture would never source milk from confined animals. We only source milk from pasture-raised animals that roam free on pasture. Ninety-percent of U.S. dairy cows are confined. They have just enough room to stand and sit and are unable to perform even the most basic natural behaviors. Good Culture is NOT okay with that! We respect our animals and will continue to fight to ensure the humane treatment of animals. Good Culture only uses simple ingredients that you can pronounce. We would never use gums, thickeners, stabilizers, or chemical preservatives. Several of these ingredients have been linked to inflammation and malignancies."
And the end result? The cottage cheese is, hands down, the absolute best tasting cottage cheese out there. Even though it is small curd, it's still thick and creamy, not runny and lumpy like other brands (those who we will not speak of.) Because of the consistency, you can really incorporate it into more recipes, like lasagna, enchiladas, bowls (in place of rice), on top of toast, or plain. It allows you to come up with more creative ways to pack this yummy protein into your body! Cottage cheese is so versatile - you can make it savory or sweet.
Try a new recipe using Good Culture, elevate your plate and eatUP! Here are some fun recipes Good Culture lists. I'll be sure to feature one soon!
https://www.goodculture.com/recipes-and-more
Deliciously,
Jillian
#topfavs #eatup #elevateyourplate #regenerativegrazing #bekindtoanimals #pastureraised