Curious why cottage cheese before bed might be a good option for runners, triathletes, and other active folks? The protein content (specifically casein) in cottage cheese may be particularly beneficial for athletes before snuggling into a good night’s sleep. Learn more below!
Note: This post was first written in 2018 and has been updated in 2023.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by DairyPure Mix-ins. As always, all opinions are my own.
Should you snack at night?
People often talk about a rule of not eating after an arbitrary time at night (you know, you might hear someone say “you shouldn’t eat after 6pm”).
While there may be some value to that for weight management as far as extending the fasting window between dinner and breakfast, it’s not always feasible or beneficial for all people.
And for active folks in particular, a bed time snack can be useful to stave off hunger and help with muscle recovery. In fact, intermittent fasting can sometimes be detrimental to runners and other athletes.
I think the problem about eating at night is less related to timing, and far more related to the quality of food choices. Most night time snacks tend to be nutritionally poor – things like cookies, ice cream, chips, or other snacks without much value.
But there’s a snack out there that’s actually a great choice for athletes to have at night – and that’s cottage cheese.
What exactly is cottage cheese?
For the longest time growing up, I admittedly had no idea what cottage cheese actually was. I mean, I knew it came from dairy, but other than that, I was at a loss. If your family never really ate cottage cheese, you might be thinking the same thing! (No? Just me? Don’t leave me hanging here! 😉 )
So here you go: cottage cheese is a dairy product made of fresh cheese curds.
When an acid is added to milk, it causes the casein proteins to form into solid lumps (the curds). For cottage cheese, the rest of the liquid is drained off, and you end up with a soft cheese product that’s great for snacking or breakfast.
Now, because there’s no aging process or anything involved for cottage cheese, it has a very mild taste. Some people love that, some are not a fan. If you fall into the later category (raises hand) – I recommend trying some of the products out there like DairyPure Mix-ins. These are on-the-go cups featuring protein-packed cottage cheese along with real fruit and nuts to mix right in. It adds more much more flavor and texture!
Why eat cottage cheese before bed?
First off, from a simple healthy snacking angle, cottage cheese has a huge leg up compared to many snack choices:
- Rich in protein
- Good source of leucine, an amino acid particularly important for muscle repair and recovery
- Filling
- Tastes great
- Good source of calcium for bone health
But there’s also another reason – and that has to do with that specific type of protein in cottage cheese called casein.
This seems to be the protein that no one really talks about – everyone is always chatting about whey protein. While whey protein is awesome and amazing for rapid absorption in the post-workout time frame, casein protein has a role for athletes too.
Casein protein is digested and absorbed more slowly compared to whey protein. So while foods rich in whey protein can be great immediately after a workout, foods rich in casein protein give you a slower, longer lasting stream of protein.
In fact, the International society of sports nutrition position stand on nutrient timing concluded that consuming casein protein before sleep “can acutely increase muscle protein synthesis and metabolic rate throughout the night without influencing lipolysis.”
The translation is that eating this type of protein at night can help your muscles grow and get stronger (along with a regular exercise routine of course) without negatively affecting your metabolism or fat storage.
Now while most studies look at casein powders, I certainly think it’s plausible that this benefit extends to a whole food rich in casein, like cottage cheese.
Should you eat cottage cheese only before bed time?
No way! Cottage cheese is a great food to include anytime.
For example, most people get plenty of protein throughout the day – but it tends to be back-loaded at lunch and dinner time. For the best results related to muscle recovery and satiety, try incorporating protein-rich foods into breakfast and snacks too.
This is not only beneficial for muscle repair and recovery as an athlete, but also helps you stay full and satisfied longer.
Cottage cheese snack and meal ideas
If you’re thinking about adding cottage cheese to your routine, you’ll be happy to know that the cottage cheese is fun to eat on it’s own or in a recipe.
For a bedtime snack, I’m a big fan of plain cottage cheese with fruit and nuts. You can mix that up yourself, or buy pre-portioned options – a la these DairyPure Mix-Ins. They provide at least 15 grams of protein each and they’re convenient to stock up in your fridge. (Plus, there’s no artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners in any of them).
At other points in the day, here are a few of my favorite cottage cheese recipes to try:
- Cottage cheese bagels
- Cottage cheese cookie dough (also a great dessert option)
- Texas lasagna with cottage cheese
- Cottage cheese protein pancakes
- Lasagna for one with cottage cheese
I hope this gives you some good science on what cottage cheese is all about, and the importance of the casein protein in it! Don’t forget to grab some cottage cheese – especially these mix-ins – on your next grocery shopping trip.
Share with me: Are you a cottage cheese fan? Were you surprised that eating cottage cheese before bed may have benefits?
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I love yogurt and I love cheese but I have not been able to get past the texture of cottage cheese. I have not had it since I was a kid-perhaps I should give it another try
Definitely give it another try, especially in these cups since you can mix the fruit & nuts in for some additional texture – I think that helps make a difference.
I’ve never tried cottage cheese because of the look and texture, but I know I need to get over that!
You need to at least give it a whirl! I totally get that it’s hit or miss with people, but you might be surprised and find that you like it! 🙂
I have not had cottage cheese in years…like, since college LOL I used to layer it on my salads for extra “filler.”
Time to bring it back, my friend! 😉
I love cottage cheese so much, it is a staple in my daily meals!!!!
Yay! Hope you get a chance to try these DairyPure cups.
I’ve gone through phases of hating and loving cottage cheese, and right now it’s a staple for breakfast — I sort of use it as a topping and pile it on my toast, Or, I go old school and top it with “canned” peaches — which don’t come in a can anymore. Interesting info on casein!
Such a great idea to combine it with toast and fruit for breakfast – super balanced meal to fuel the day right there!
I love cottage cheese, but my five year old and I are the only ones in the family who eat it. I’m always looking for tasty single serve portions of it so it will keep longer – and these flavors might even entice my nine year old to give it another go! Going to add these to the grocery list this week.
Aw, this makes me happy to hear! I hope you and the kiddos enjoy them 🙂
This is so interesting. My son is a runner and has a chocolate milk when he comes home to aid with muscle recovery. Going to have him try cottage cheese and see if that helps too — especially on the bigger, harder workout days.
I’m glad you found it interesting! Chocolate milk is a great choice in that immediate post-workout phase – it’s got easily absorbed sugar as well as a good amount of whey protein for recovery. Cottage cheese can be great to mix in as a regular or bedtime snack though with that longer lasting casein protein.
That is very interesting. I never knew the difference between whey and casein. Although I knew casein meant dairy because we have a dairy allergy in the family. I actually like cottage cheese and I never knew it was curds. See now I have more random facts that may come in handy on trivia night 🙂
Haha, yes – fun facts for pub trivia! 😉
Thank you for posting this! When I was training for my first ultra, I came across an explanation of the differences between whey & casein protein, and how an endurance athlete can use them to her benefit. It really made a difference. I slept much better when I had casein protein right before bed. (I was using protein powder because I needed the calories.)
I’m no longer doing that kind of workload, so I don’t have an excuse to eat right before bed. But I’ve since added homemade kefir to my daily diet, and it’s really made a difference in my digestive health. I cannot handle unfermented milk, and I have to limit how much aged cheese I take in, but so far kefir & cottage cheese are a net plus. (The only problem I have with cottage cheese is that I love it so much I can wolf down an entire pint without shame. And since I’m not training for an ultra, that’s a tad bit over-much.)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! And yes, the whole eating before bed thing is really individualized based on your workouts, habits, goals, etc. I just hate when people say across the board that you should *never* eat before bed. It’s a pet peeve of mine, haha!