Coffee alone is not enough! Eating breakfast in the morning fuels your body. It helps adults and kids stay focused at home, school, and work. Eating a healthy breakfast may lower your chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight. It is also a good opportunity to get vitamins and nutrients from healthy foods like fruits, dairy, protein, and grains. Keep reading for 3 ways to make your breakfast a little bit healthier!

Whole grains have more fiber and nutrients. This keeps you feeling fuller longer and provides your body with lots of nutrition. Instead of plain, white toast, plain pancake mix, or a plain bagel, make it whole wheat! Oatmeal, whole wheat tortillas, whole grain cereals, and quinoa are other great options! Check out Why Whole Grains Will Change Your Life to learn how to find whole grain foods at the grocery store.

Remember that MyPlate, our healthy eating guide, recommends that we make 1/2 of our plates fruits and vegetables. That doesn't just mean our lunch and dinner plates! Fruits and veggies can be easily added to your morning meal.

Try adding bananas, raisins, or berries to hot or cold cereals. Chopped up vegetables make a great addition to eggs or potatoes. Or simply serve apples, oranges, or another piece of fruit alongside your meal. Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and veggies will do the trick!

When you look at the nutrition facts label on your favorite breakfast food or drink, is sugar listed as one of the first ingredients? If so, it may not be the healthiest choice.

Fruit flavored yogurt and muffins are popular breakfast foods, but the first meal of the day can be healthier. Swapping them out for plain yogurt with berries and granola will give your body less sugar and more nutrition, plus these are all items you can buy in bulk. That means you will save money!

Another easy way to reduce the amount of sugar in your breakfast is to skip the juice! We know it seems healthy because it's made from fruit, but even 100% fruit juice is high in sugar. It's also missing the healthy fiber that whole fruit provides. Try eating a piece of fruit instead or limiting yourself (and the kids) to 1/2 cup or 4 oz of juice per day.

• Watch this video from MyPlate.gov to see how simple swaps can help you build a better breakfast:
  

• Check out How to Make Breakfast a Healthy Habit from the American Heart Association
  
• Read Breakfast: Key to Growing Healthy from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Don't eat a typical American breakfast? Don't worry, all foods can fit! Check out MyPlate for Different Cultures to learn how.

The holidays are a perfect time to get kids cooking! When children help out in the kitchen, they  develop important skills they will use for the rest of their lives. It can also help kids learn to choose healthy meals and snacks. In this month's blog, we breakdown tasks that are appropriate for kids at all age levels (with adult supervision, of course) and easy holiday recipes to make together as a family. Keep reading to learn more!

• Watch you cook from some place safe (highchair, playpen, or bouncer)
• Play with plastic measuring cups, spoons, and containers
• Learn to say the names and colors of foods
  
• Smell foods and taste small amounts of foods safe for young children
• Scoop and pour dry ingredients like dried beans and rice

When all other skills are mastered, let your child:

• Follow recipes and make simple meals by themselves
• Cook on a stove top with medium heat to make recipes like Homemade Eggnog

Remember: Every child is different! Yours may be ahead of or behind these suggestions. You know your child best.

• Find more kid friendly kitchen tasks from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Get healthy, budget friendly Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa recipes from SNAP-Ed Connection
• Read our 7 healthy holiday swaps and 10 healthy baking hacks for tips to make your family's favorite holiday foods a little bit healthier.
  

At SNAP4CT we love sweets, but it’s no secret we’re fans of making our favorite foods a little bit healthier. With the holidays right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to share our favorite baking hacks! The swaps listed below will help you cut back on sugar and fat while boosting nutrition. Remember, you can use these tips whether you are making your grandmother’s recipe from scratch or something baked from a box! We've also included recipes that have already been adjusted so you don't have to. Keep reading to learn more!

Reduce the amount by 25%

• Did you know you can reduce the amount of sugar in most baked goods by 25% without noticing any difference? For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, reduce the amount to 3/4 cup.
• Works in all baked goods (cookies, brownies, breads, muffins, and more)!
  

Carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and beets work great in baked goods. You can try it in these Garden Muffins or Sweet Potato Blueberry Oat Squares.

Making a chocolate cake? Try adding 1 cup of pureed beets (low sodium canned beets work great here) to your favorite box of cake mix or to your own recipe!

You might not realize that frosting is just sugar and fat. Delicious, but not the healthiest!

• Try whipped topping, a dusting of powdered sugar, or fruit (fresh, canned, or frozen will do) on your favorite treats instead of rich frostings.
• If you like to make your own frosting, give one of these tips a try:
  
  • You can use plain, nonfat Greek yogurt to replace some or all of the butter in cake frostings. The frosting will be thinner, but still taste great!
    
  • In recipes that call for cream cheese, use low fat cream cheese in place of full fat.
    

Remember, adding veggies or using whole wheat flour in baked goods will make them slightly healthier, but it won't turn desserts into health foods. While it is totally fine to enjoy unhealthy foods from time to time, remember to use MyPlate as your guide for healthy eating most days. Saving decadent desserts for special occasions like birthdays and holidays and serving smaller portions is another way to make a healthier choice.

• For more tips to make the holidays a little bit healthier, visit 7 Healthy Holiday Swaps and Everything but the Turkey: a Thanksgiving Menu
  
• Learn more about why you should limit added sugar and unhealthy fats in your diet
  
• Get more Healthy Baking Alternatives from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
  

In last month's first part of The Truth About Fat, you learned about the three main types of fat and ways to make healthier choices. This month, you'll learn about popular products and diet trends in the world of fats and oils. These hot topics can be confusing because everyone seems to have a different opinion. Not to worry, we'll make it easy for you! Keep reading to learn the truth about coconut oil and the ketogenic (keto) diet.

Coconut oil has been popular for several years now. You've probably heard a lot about this type of fat and why some people swear by it. Below we breakdown the good, the bad, and bottom line when it comes to coconut oil.

The good:

• It tastes good - Coconut oil does not have a strong coconut taste or smell. It is commonly used in delicious, traditional dishes from India, the Philippines, and Polynesia.
• It's vegan - Unlike most other solid fats, coconut oil is made from plants. This makes it popular with people who choose not to use animal products.
• It can take the heat - Coconut oil can withstand high temperatures, so it is good for stir frying and sauteing.
• It contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) - The reason coconut oil is thought to be good for our health is because it contains MCTs. These are small fats that can be absorbed by the body without being broken down. This is believed to make us feel fuller and prevent fat from being stored in the body.

The bad:

• It's high in calories - All fats, including healthy ones, are high in calories. One tablespoon of coconut oil contains about 120 calories. Butter has 100 calories and vegetable oil has 125 calories per tablespoon. These are all high calorie foods.
  
• It's high in saturated fat - Coconut oil consists of 80-90% saturated fat, which makes it solid at room temperature. As you might recall from The Truth About Fat: Part 1, solid or saturated fats raise our "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and risk of heart disease and stroke.
• It's low in MCTs - The suggested health benefits are based on studies that used coconut oil made from 100% MCTs. Coconut oil purchased at the grocery store is about 50% MCTs, so health benefits are likely exaggerated.

The bottom line: Don't believe all the hype. Coconut oil will not cure your health problems. If you like using coconut oil, it can be part of a healthy diet if used in small amounts.

The ketogenic diet is super popular. Everyone knows someone who is cutting carbs and eating more fat! This diet is a very low or no carbohydrate eating plan that forces the body into ketosis. This is when your body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.

The good:

• It limits the amount of food you eat - Reducing the number of calories you eat, no matter the eating plan, can help you lose weight. Many people also report reduced hunger when following a ketogenic diet.
• It limits added sugar and processed foods - Foods full of added sugar like soda, fruit juice, cake, ice cream, and candy are not allowed on this diet.
• It can work for some people - The ketogenic diet was originally created as a therapy for some people with seizures. In this case, the diet is prescribed by a physician, started in the hospital, and must be closely monitored.

The bad:

• It excludes foods with lots of nutrition - Grains (like bread, pasta, rice), beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables are not allowed. This means you'll miss out on fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals that only come from these foods.
• It's hard to stick to - No matter the plan, restrictive diets are hard to maintain long term. Once a normal diet is resumed, the weight that was lost will likely return.
• You might get "keto flu" - Some people feel sick when they start a keto diet. You can experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, upset stomach, and brain fog. Yuck!
• It may be bad for your heart - Some sources of heart healthy unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil) are included in the keto diet, but foods rich in saturated fats (palm oil, coconut oil, lard, butter) are encouraged in high amounts. This diet also does not favor lean protein foods like chicken and fish over bacon, full-fat dairy, and fatty cuts of meat that are high in saturated fat.
• It can be expensive - Since budget friendly plant proteins, like beans and legumes, are not allowed, the diet focuses on animal proteins which cost more. In fact, meat and seafood can cost three times as much as plant foods!
• It may cause constipation - Removing fiber rich foods like whole grains and fruit may make using the restroom more difficult.

The bottom line: It's a fad! While a keto diet may help you lose weight at first, it is difficult to follow and the weight lost will most likely return. Plus, the side effects are unpleasant and may impact your heart health long term. Learn about healthy, lasting weight loss from our blog Weight Loss on A Budget for the best way to shed some pounds.

If you choose to give keto a try, make sure you eat a variety of high fiber veggies, focus on unsaturated, heart healthy fat choices, and choose lean proteins like chicken and fish.

• Learn more about oils and soild fats from ChooseMyPlate.gov
• Read about including coconut oil in a healthy diet from this Harvard Health Blog: Is there a place for coconut oil in a healthy diet?
• What is a Healthy Eating Style? from ChooseMyPlate.gov
  
• Do you have a question about fat that we didn't answer in our two part blog? Let us know using our Ask a Nutritionist from. We'd be happy to answer it!