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The breakfast decision made by millions鈥攄onut or muffin鈥攕eems like a no-brainer. Donut bad, muffin good, right? Not necessarily. Most store-bought muffins deliver the same wallop of highly processed flour and sugar as donuts. Low-fat versions, which many people see as healthier, may actually be worse, since they contain extra sugar and salt.

To restore the muffin to its rightful place as a healthy breakfast or snack option, chefs and dietitians from the worked on a muffin makeover with nutrition experts from the (HSPH). They created recipes for five muffins: blueberry, cranberry orange, jalapeno cheddar corn, lemon chickpea, and banana nut. (The recipes, and more, are available on , an excellent Web site from the HSPH Department of Nutrition.)

One reason for redefining the muffin was to help dispel the widely held notion that low fat means healthy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to end the low-fat myth,鈥� said Dr. Walter Willett, who chairs the department of nutrition at HSPH. 鈥淭he lesson contained in these healthy muffins鈥攖hat foods can be both tasty and good for you鈥攃an literally be life saving.鈥� (I鈥檒l explore the 鈥渓ow-fat myth鈥� next week.)

Remaking the muffin

The average low-fat coffee shop muffin has several nutritional drawbacks. It is made with rapidly digested white flour and sugar, which the digestive system breaks down in a flash. This causes blood sugar and insulin levels to rise quickly, then drop quickly, causing you to feel hungry again, sooner rather than later. Fat, which provides taste and texture, is replaced with sugar and salt. (Check out the table below comparing regular, low-fat, and makeover blueberry muffins.)

The members of the makeover team wanted to create healthier muffins that are just as tasty, or even tastier, than low-fat muffins. They replaced half of the white flour with whole wheat or other whole-grain flours. It takes the body longer to digest these, which smooths out the blood sugar鈥搃nsulin roller coaster. They used heart-healthy oils, like canola oil, in place of some or all of the butter. When possible, they included nuts鈥攁nother health food鈥攐r nut flours, which added another dollop of healthy fat and extra protein. Protein and fat take longer to digest, which helps stave off hunger pangs.

The team also cut the size of the muffins. That makes sense, since the 4- to 5-ounce muffins sold in coffee shops equal two servings, according to the .

So I tried it, and鈥�

It took the Culinary Institute/Harvard team several tries to turn out what it says are moist, tender, and delicious muffins.

I made a batch of the blueberry muffins. It took just over 30 minutes, start to finish. The end result was as promised鈥攎oist, muffin-y, and tasty. Even my kids said they were 鈥渙kay鈥濃�攈igh praise from teenagers.

Do it yourself

If you want to make healthier muffins, here are some tips from the muffin makeover team:

• Downsize the size of your muffins.
• Use some whole-grain flour, and even some whole grains.
• Slash the sugar.
• Use oil instead of butter.
• Add nuts when possible.
• Scale back the salt.
• Add fruits and vegetables.

Comparing muffins

Nutrition information from Harvard School of Public Health鈥檚 Nutrition Source