For about nine years or so, I have been eating, among other specific foodstuffs, quark and tuna (in brine) on a regular basis, and both of these are still integral parts of my diet. The amount of quark and tuna that I eat has of course varied over time and place, but at the moment I do definitely eat more quark (always 0,1-0,3% fat), combined with diet juice (the product which is called Fun Light in Sweden), than tuna.

The body and brains lifestyle implies, among other things, to eat smart and overall to make good decisions, both in and outside the gym, as the prolific writer Martin Berkhan repeatedly has asserted. And to put it simple, to eat quark is generally a wise choice since it contains very few calories in relation to which degree of satiety it gives you in return. It does also contain quite a lot of casein proteins, which are absorbed at a slow rate and consequently related to extensive periods of satiety throughout the day.

According to some sources, quark seems much less common in the Americas and Asia, than in Europe, even if that might gradually change, at least if you have Sweden as a point of reference. In fact, it has – almost in conjunction with cottage cheese – become sort of a dietary wellness trend during the last year or so. The shelves in the Swedish super markets are all brimming with different flavors and brands of quark.

And it is exactly in the last instance that the divide between the common people and the fitness folks becomes rather obvious. The main point with quark – ur used to be, at least – is exactly what I have roughly sketched out above, that is, it gives you a large degree of satiety and contains a lot of proteins in relation to its average amount of calories (often measured per 100 grams in Sweden). Hence, it is different from yoghurt, regular cheese, and other foodstuffs. Therefore, one should not chose the flavors – like those below – that are actually more akin to flavored yoghurt and cheese than regular, low-fat and low-carb quark.

The companies that make these products love to give the consumers several options, which in turn generally goes hand in hand with additional sugar and fat, and consumers in turn love to fool themselves to think that these shitty products are healthy, when they are in fact just slightly better than candy and cookies.