Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Click here to submit!

Recipe may vary from photograph. Photo: nimetimesthree, Flickr

Every couple of years, there is a new culprit to blame for the obesity epidemic in America. Red meat, carbohydrates, saturated fat and high fructose corn syrup have all been charged with the crime at one point or another. But the bottom line and true reason is that the portion sizes deemed by the American Dietetic Association are a thing of the past. We are a country of abundance, with a surplus of food, and now, exponentially-larger portions sizes are the standard. Without them, we don't feel like we've gotten our money's worth of food. Quiz yourself at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to see if your portion sizes are preventing you from making your goal weight.

One area where this holds especially true is with baked goods. Many Americans still think that a muffin is a healthy breakfast option. The reality is that a blueberry muffin at Dunkin Donuts has 510 calories, 16 grams of fat, no fiber, and is actually four servings compared to the standard. A muffin should not be the size of a softball; it should be 2 1/4-inch in diameter, the size found in that tin at home that makes one dozen muffins.

My muffin recipe sticks to that standard and tastes delicious, much better than anything commercially prepared. So skip the drive-through on your way to work. Get your satisfaction from a homemade baked good, which is filling because of my swap for whole-wheat flour and addition of bran cereal. You can make these healthy, low-fat muffins in bulk and freeze them so you'll always be prepared during your morning rush.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups All-Bran extra fiber cereal
• 1 1/4 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, mix cereal and milk. Let the mixture stand for two minutes to allow the cereal to soften.
4. Beat egg whites and add to cereal mixture. Add honey, oil and lemon peel and stir to combine. Add the blueberries, then the dry ingredients, and stir only until mixed.
5. Lightly spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Pour batter into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition Content:

149 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 26 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 4 g protein, 205 mg sodium


Forget fast food altogether -- learn about the "Slow Food" trend instead.

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your most favorite fattening recipes that need a RECIPE REHAB! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.