these in a jiffy. We should all try to avoid processed meats like sausage, bacon and luncheon meats that are filled with nitrates, salt, sugar and way too much fat. The homemade alternative is substantially healthier. Ellis already has a fully stocked spice rack in her kitchen to flavor some breakfast patties. We pitched in a package of lean ground turkey. Takeout shape-up For something more healthful to eat on the run than fast food takeout, we bought her skinless chicken breasts to grill and chill. That way she'll have a satisfying protein on hand to slice for a big main-dish salad when she's hungry. When Ellis gets a really strong jones for McDonalds, I'd recommend that she ditch the Chicken McNuggets and Double Cheeseburger and instead order a hamburger Happy Meal. A regular McDonald's 3.5-ounce burger, which is a full adult serving of meat and then some, has 6 fewer grams of fat than the six-piece serving of McNuggets she'd stowed away, and 14 fewer grams of fat than the double cheeseburger. For times when she just wants a fast, no-fuss snack, I had the Daily News deliver some crunchy fresh broccoli, a spring mix of lettuces and a bag of fresh baby spinach so she can reach for something healthier than the potato chips I found lurking in her fridge. 'Health' food foibles Moving on to a carton of chocolate soy milk, I warned Ellis not to be fooled by clever wording on packages of so-called healthy foods. You have to read the label like a legal contract - and by that I mean the small-print nutrition label on the back of the package. Her soy milk might seem a healthy choice. But with 20 grams of sugar, it was more like a liquid dessert. A full 60 percent of the calories in this product came from sugar. We replaced it with West Soy Organic unsweetened soy milk. With 90 calories per serving instead of the original's 140, it will save Ellis 50 calories a day or 5.21 pounds annually. We also traded the sugary Raisin Bran that I found in her cupboard (with 19 grams of sugar per serving) for a box of plain Total, which has about 75 percent less sugar. For another whole-grain breakfast option, we gave her old-fashioned, 100-percent rolled Quaker Oats. Salad watch Like so many of us, Ellis has, admirably, been eating more salads. But it's important to check the labels on the salad dressing so we don't do more harm than good. Most of us are eating big, FAT salads, with 600 to 1,500 calories. The creamy Caesar dressing in Ellis' refrigerator was 170 calories a serving with 18 grams of fat. To translate that for you, 160 of its 170 calories came from fat. We swapped out her original with a non-creamy Caesar from Maple Grove Farms of Vermont with no fat at all and just 1 gram of sugar. Better yet, she could ditch the Caesar altogether and make her own balsamic reduction, which is fat-free and full of flavor. Veggie alert