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Cheese is the downfall of many would-be hardbodies. Candy and pastries don’t tempt. The fatty fast foods savored by the massees sing no siren song for the hopeful mass monster. But put a hunk of cheddar in front of a cheesaholic, and watch out!

Short of total abstinence, or a 12-step program, the cheese lover teeter-totters between the self-control of miserly portions and gluttonous binges. Sure, he’s tried the cure – low-fat cheese. But the one he tried a few years back didn’t taste like the real thing. It didn’t even melt on his low-fat pizza.

Low-fat and nonfat cheese have come a long way. Once you taste some of today’s cheeses, and remind yourself of the actual butterfat price you pay for eating regular cheese, you’ll have a change of heart and palate. These lighter cheeses offer a benefit beyond saving fat – plenty of high-quality protein.

Butterfat Basics
How bad can regular cheese be? Some have more fat than protein. So when you consider that tasty 11-ounce block of cheese, visualize one complete stick of butter as the fat portion – because that’s the butterfat equivalent. If you’ve given up butter (or cut down drastically) but haven’t cut back on regular cheese, you’re lying to yourself.

Curds & Whey
Nonfat cottage cheese, a boon to healthy eating, provides a solid protein base for quick lunches and snacks. Just add a fresh, juicy tomato for great flavor and super vitamins. Mix in fruit for a sweet, healthy breakfast.

The Italian version, nonfat ricotta, adds protein to lasagna and manicotti. For a delicious breakfast treat, mix equal portions of nonfat ricotta and unsweetened applesauce, along with a sprinkle of cinnamon, to top a toasted English muffin.

Taste Tests – Ask Your Buds
After you’ve been disappointed by a fat-free cheese, you don’t feel like spending more money on similar products. We agree that some nonfat and low-fat cheeses taste gross, but some taste good, or at least good enough for certain uses. If your supermarket has a deli counter, ask for free tastes of different cheeses, but don’t try too many at once. You want to sample cheeses with free tastebuds for a legitimate test.

Don’t confuse the nonfat and low-fat cheeses with imitation or artificial cheese (or should we say cheez?). Cheese is made from milk and has protein. Who knows what those impostors contain? Check the labels to find out.

Taste Grate
High-fat cheese has been the downfall of homemade pizza. Now you can have your pizza (skip the pepperoni, though) and your physique, too. Cheesemakers like Healthy Choice, Kraft, Sargento and other make pizza preparation even easier with shredded mozzarella and pizza cheese combos. Healthy Choice lets you spice up your pie even more with garlic-flavored Shreds. These shredded and grated cheese products offer not only convenience but easier portion control (one-fourth cup equals a serving).

Grating is also a good way to stretch higher-fat cheese. While 1 ounce sliced don’t seem like much, 1 ounce grated, or one-fourth cup, seems to go further.