The Road to a Better Muffin....

...or any other baked good for that matter.

I love muffins. And before I learned how fatty they were, they were my breakfast of choice. Today, they are still an occasional item on my daily diet.

I was not ready to give up muffins completely. There had to be a way to enjoy this food without so much fat.

Well folks, there is.

The trick to enjoying some of your favorite foods is to make them at home so you can control EXACTLY what goes into them.

Here are some little changes you can make to your muffin recipes to make them better for you:

• Replace the oil in your recipe with applesauce or baby food. When I make banana muffins I like to use banana baby food rather than oil. When I make blueberry muffins, I use blueberry baby food. Try using a similar flavor or try something different to make a new taste. Use strawberry baby food in your banana muffins and enjoy a new treat!
• Replace the chocolate chips in your recipe for fruit! While I do enjoy a good banana chocolate muffin, I feel better about my choice when I opt for a delicious fruit muffin instead: strawberry rhubarb, apple cinnamon or peach muffins are great choices!
• Watch your nuts! While nuts are quite fatty, some contain many essential vitamins and minerals and can be an excellent source of protein. The best nuts to eat are: Hazelnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Macadamias, and Walnuts.
• Replace your white and brown sugars with a sugar substitute such as Stevia or Splenda.
• Try using a recipe that uses whole wheat flour rather than white all purpose flour. White flour contains very little nutritional value for the body. Our bodies actually cannot tell the difference between eating a spoonful of sugar or a slice of white bread. Whole wheat flour, however, is a much better option. In fact, The Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003 stated that simply swapping out your white bread for whole wheat bread can cut your heart disease risk by up to 20%.

These are just some of the many ways you can make your muffins - or many other baked goods - healthier and better for you.

Let's get some feedback! Post your favorite tricks to making your BAKED GOODS healthier in the comments section below!