Quite honestly, for the price, there is no better source of protein than low fat cottage cheese. Even price aside, cottage cheese stacks up against the plethora of high protein food sources.
To paint you a picture, in a 1/2 cup of low fat 1% cottage cheese you get:
- 14g of protein (and its a complete source of protein)
- 15% of your daily calcium
- only 7g of carbs
- 1g of fat
- only 100 calories
So how do I add this to my diet?
Well, to be frank, by itself, low fat cottage cheese is pretty bland. That being said, there are an infinite number of ways to spice up this gastric wonder. Personally, I enjoy eating it for breakfast simply because the best way to kick off your day is a meal that is high in protein, complex carbs and a healthy dose of fruit. Thus, to replace my traditional bowl of cereal I do the following:
- 1/4 cup frozen blueberries (thawed in the microwave)
- 1/2 cup of 1% low fat cottage cheese
- 1 medium sized apple washed and cut into chunks
- handful of unsalted oven roasted almonds
- 1/4 cup of unsalted sesame seeds
- drizzle of honey
Trust me, this is a delicious alternative to a regular bowl of cereal and it will keep your hunger curbed for several hours. In fact, a breakfast like this loaded with protein, complex carbs and good fats will rev up your metabolism and provide you with the nutrients to repair your muscles faster.
So, to all those who continually spend money on expensive and unnatural protein powder for pre- and post-workout shakes, I suggest you try this healthy and nutritional way of boosting your protein intake.
