Market figures show that more and more people are buying breakfast from fast-food chains and places like Starbucks. It makes sense; after all, many people are already at one of those places buying coffee. Others just don't have enough time in the morning to get a bite at home, so they grab it on the go. But are any of these early morning offerings even remotely healthy?

Choose corn displayed in a cool place because heat rapidly converts the sugar in corn to starch. Make sure it is kept out of direct sunlight.

Look for corn with fresh, green husks and not dried out ones. The kernels should be plump and tightly arranged in rows. To check its juiciness, press your fingernail into a kernel. If the corn is fresh, it will exude a white milky substance.

To enjoy corn’s flavour to the maximum, store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Do not remove its husk; it protects the flavour.

You can store fresh corn in heavy-duty freezer bags for freezing, blanch them first for 7 to 11 minutes. If you just want to freeze the kernels, first blanch the ears for about five minutes and then cut the kernels off the cob at about three-quarters of the depth, while kernels can be frozen for two to three months.

A medium ear of corn (90gm) contains 75 calories, 1 gm each of fat and dietary fibre, 17 gm of carbohydrates and 3 gm of protein.

Corn provides 18.4% of the daily human requirement for fibre. It lowers high cholesterol levels, reduces risk of colon cancer, and alleviates irritable bowel syndrome. Corn fibre can help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Corn is a good source of thiamin (Vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), folate, Vitamin C, phosphorous and manganese.

Use light cream cheese in your holiday recipes instead of regular cream cheese and you'll save around 296 calories and 44 grams of fat per 8-ounce block.

Use fat-free sour cream in your holiday recipes instead of regular sour cream and you'll shave off around 474 calories and 95 grams of fat per 16-ounce container. I really like the Naturally Yours brand in the black and white cowhide container.

Choose reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (or other reduced-fat cheeses) in your holiday recipes instead of regular cheese and you'll save around 279 calories and 36 grams of fat per 8-ounce package of shredded cheese (2 cups).

Use half real eggs and 1/2 cup egg substitute in your holiday egg recipes instead of all eggs and you'll cut around 90 calories and 10 grams of fat and 500 milligrams cholesterol for every 4 eggs normally called for.

Use light turkey sausage or turkey bacon such as Louis Rich (and use half as much when possible) in your holiday recipes instead of regular sausage in the regular amounts and you'll trim around 347 calories, 42 grams of fat per 12-ounce package of sausage (9 ounces cooked).

Use light mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise in your holiday recipes. But you can shave even more calories and fat by blending 1/2 cup of light mayonnaise with 1/2 cup of fat-free sour cream for every 1 cup of mayonnaise called for. You'll then cut around 1058 calories and 136 grams of fat for every 1 cup of regular mayonnaise called for.

Use roasted skinless chicken breast for appetizer recipes calling for skin-on chicken thigh and save around 70 calories and 10 grams of fat per 3 ounces.

Add fat-free half-and-half for appetizer recipes calling for liquid cream and you'll save around 40 calories and 7 grams of fat per 1/4-cup serving.

Oven fry or pan-fry your holiday appetizer in a minimum of oil instead of deep frying and you'll cut around 80 calories and 9 grams of fat if you use 2 teaspoons less oil per serving.

Choose whole grain and lower-fat bread and cracker products to accompany your holiday appetizers to increase the fiber and take down the fat. Using reduced-fat Triscuits, for example, instead of regular, will cut around 30 calories and 3 grams of fat per seven-cracker serving.