Starting the day right: cottage cheese

I've mentioned before about how you need breakfast. Especially if you want to lose or maintain your weight. And a good breakfast not only helps with weight, it helps to prevent snacking later in the morning.

What's crucial is protein. In the last 20 or 30 years, when many have become obsessed with fat in their diet, we've gotten out of the habit of eating many protein-rich traditional breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheeses.

By eating low-fat, high-carb foods such as sweet rolls or breakfast cereals most of the time, we've contributed to becoming an obese society.

Protein's important. Not just because your body needs it (your body does) but because it contributes to a feeling of fullness that helps keep us away from the cookies.

But I can hear the wailing now, "I don't have time to cook sausage and eggs like my grandma did!" Or, like my wife, who grumbles that she just doesn't like the taste of eggs in the morning.

So how to get the protein. Cottage cheese is the natural remedy here. It's good all by itself. Or if you'd like it with a little zing, sprinkle just a tad of freshly-ground black pepper on it. Or go sweet: sprinkle it with a bit of stevia or Splenda, and a dusting of cinnamon. Or if you're making oatmeal, add a spoonful to the bowl (there's no obvious cheesy flavor, and it contributes enormously to the bowl's protein and calcium). And if you oversleep and just need to eat something quickly, it's a good, fast and healthy breakfast right out of the container.

But experiment with it. Cottage cheese works on so many levels that it's worth getting re-acquainted with if you've been out of touch for a while.