This morning, my kids asked for cinnamon toast. So I made it for them. I used whole wheat bread, light butter with Canola oil, and a few sprinkles of McCormick's cinnamon sugar. My kids gobbled it down, which makes me happy for whole wheat purposes. My husband tends to think the rest of the equation -- the butter and cinnamon sugar -- is crap. I argued with him a bit, not trying to convince him butter and cinnamon sugar are good for our kids, just to let him know that our kids eat pretty darn healthy most days and there are far worse foods they could have ingested, with far more crap packed into them. Then I questioned myself. Then I did some research.

Hungry Girl says in one of her Chew the Right Thing posts that cinnamon sugar is something we ought to fight, not bite. Now she's speaking mostly to us grown-up calorie-counting folks and not to the kids of the world, but here's what she says: "McCormick's Cinnamon Sugar has only 15 calories per teaspoon. So why are we telling you to 'fight it!'? Well, we just don't see why anyone should waste any calories at all on this sweet spice when there is a just-as-good no-cal version available. After all, when you're watching your weight, every single calorie counts. Fifteen calories here, 30 there, another 40 here ... it can all add up." HG doesn't mention sugar in her opinion but clearly, there's sugar in cinnamon sugar.

So what does the Hungry Girl suggest? San Sucre Cinnamon Sugar. It uses Splenda and makes a great sugarless cinnamon sugar blend, she says. No calories in this goodie either. HG's final piece of advice: "Cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels low, so sprinkle away!"

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Are you a fan of Crisco? How about that good old standby, canola oil? Although canola was a staple of mine for years, back in 2005 I started using olive oil for just about everything I cooked that needed oil. Result? Very tasty prepared dishes (like those stir-fry meals) as well as the knowledge that the oil you're cooking with is not bad for your health.

In fact, it's just the opposite, and I use olive oil in low-calorie salad dressings now. In what's becoming popular at nicer restaurants these days, try dipping some whole-grain, fresh-baked bread into a mixture of raw olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Roast some fresh garlic in that over and add it.

This is a much healthier alternative than the white bread / butter spread combination that most of us know. Yes, the garlic portion takes more time, but it's not required. Fresh whole-grain bread and olive oil is enough. It's healthy and tastes great. If you've never tried this, it's worth it for the possibility of picking up a new, healthy habit alone.

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Confused about how many trans fats your body needs? Let me help. Zero.

Trans fats -- abundant in cookies, candies, pastries, fried food, and margarine -- are not necessary in any way, shape, or form. There's no need to eat them at any level, especially because they seriously up the risk of heart disease.

Make it your project, starting today, to buy only foods with zero trans fats. Nutrition labels now make it easy to identify trans fat-free foods, and there are more of these products on the shelves than ever before. Head to the outside aisles of your grocery store for fresh fruits, veggies, fish, and whole grains -- OK and maybe small amounts of healthy oils like olive and canola. This way, you'll be sure to stay out of trans fat trouble.

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