I really hate this stuff. I tried eating it last night before bed and almost vomited.

I know I need a protein source that's better than whey to take before bed, so I'm completely open to any alternatives to cottage cheese. I am not going to force myself to consume junk that I despise in order to have ample protein while I sleep. :p

The idea behind taking cottage cheese before bed is that the casein protein is digested slower than other protein, which allows your muscles to get a steadier flow of nutrients over the course of the night. Milk also contains casein protein, but it is also high in simple sugar (which I like to stay away from, particularly right before bed).

I, too, hated cottage cheese at one time, but I think you're going about this in the wrong way. Instead of trying to find a substitute for the stuff, why not try to make it taste better? I personally mix a scoop of whey protein and 2 teaspoons of splenda in with my cottage cheese. The results are a lot closer to pudding than they are to cottage cheese (as far as the taste is concerned).

I don't know many people who can handle the stuff straight up, but that's why there are so many things to add to cottage cheese; fruit, salt, pepper...all sorts of stuff. Give that a try before you give up on cottage cheese all together.

(NOTE: I don't recommend adding salt to it, personally. I've just known people to do that and enjoy it).

Heh, I might try adding some whey to it and see how that works. So afraid.. I gag really easily on stuff I dislike.

Be fore warned: The whey itself doesn't make a world of difference. It helps, but that strong taste from the cottage cheese is still there. The splenda all but kills the taste of the cottage cheese.

If you're a texture person (i.e. you don't like the texture of some foods and thus can't choke them down), you might be screwed. But hey, give it a shot and hopefully it will work out for you!

if u add splenda and cinnamon to it ,, it makes a huge difference in taste

That's another one: Splenda, cinnamon and just a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Now THAT does taste legitimately good.

That sounds like it might be better than whey + splenda. I've got all of the stuff you all are suggesting so I'll give it a try tonight and a review tomorrow if I live.

My main problem is the one you mentioned though. I dislike a lot of things due to texture. I'm not a fan of any fruit because of the texture of most really disagrees with me. There's just something 'odd' about the cottage cheese texture. Maybe if it didn't have the word 'cheese' in there I wouldn't have a pre-determined texture in mind, cuz that stuff sure doesn't chew up like cheese. ;)

I don't know many people who can handle the stuff straight up...

I'm one of the few that love cottage cheese all by itself;) It's also about what kind you get. Try different brands because a lot of them taste different ranging from genuinely poor to quite decent. cottage cheese is really good mixed with yogurt and grapes.

breakstones(sp) makes the best tasting cottage cheese otherwise I dont like any other. I'm not sure how healthy that brand is because I haven't eaten it since I started to diet

I love cottage cheese. I used to eat it with pineapple and pears all the time. Not good for a prebed snack. I also liked it with applebutter, which isn't too bad.

How *MUCH* cottage cheese should I eat as my final pre bed meal? I eat fat free cottage cheese (I choke it down raw). (I will dry WITH DELIGHT some of the alternatives to make it not taste like snot).

Anyway I usually eat one cup which is like 70 calories, 5g carbs, 13g protein. Should I be eating more? Less? I know 70 calories isn't a meal by any stretch of the imagination.

I have been eating Cottage Cheese with one of those Yogurt with fruit and if it is a bit chilled, it tastes pretty ok. It is like a dessert. This way you get a good mix of just about the right amount of carbs and protein.

However, I tend to agree that texture may be an issue as I find that softer varieties of cottage cheese are better for me than the dryer granular varieties.

Hope this helps

That's another one: Splenda, cinnamon and just a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Now THAT does taste legitimately good.

I rather like cottage cheese by itself, but yesterday I tried this just because I have a sweet tooth and need to replace some of the crap sweets I used to eat. This is right up there with John's oatmeal as really good and sweet enough to curb my cravings. Thanks Famous!! Excellent idea.