Healthy Eating at the Holidays?  It almost seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it?

But if you eat well all year round, you are much less likely to feel like a locust devouring everything in sight. Sure, you can have a seasonal treat or two, but there is no need to go for seconds. Or thirds and fourths!

 The trouble with the holidays is that they seem to get longer every year, with a stretch of indulgence that extends from the candy at Halloween, through the turkey with all the fixin’s at Thanksgiving, to Christmas, and right on to New Year’s (and possibly even Valentine’s Day if we aren’t careful!!)

In our offices, there are snacks and treats galore, all within easy reach, adding hundred of extra calories to our diet before we even know we’ve swallowed. Of course we love spending time with our friends, but food and drink become even more of a center of attention than the usual lunches, brunches and dinners.

There are many ways you can control your calorie intake at the holidays. Get a hot air popper (the microwave pop corn is getting very bad press these days), pop your corn, and add a bit of butter spray to it if you are eating it then and there. You can also pop extra, don’t butter it, and bring it to work in a plastic container. If you feel like having hot pop corn, you can give it a few seconds in the microwave, and presto, you have a hot snack without a ton of oil, artifical flavor, or chemicals.

Other good choices would be carrot and celery sticks, apple, raisins, to stop you from reaching for the cookie tin or the bowl of nachos and guacamole just waiting to be devoured.

In particular, watch out for the empty calories in alcohol and desserts during the holiday season. They have NO nutritional value, and are NOT a couple of new essential food groups. They also make you binge eat, alcohol in particular giving you the munchies.

Vegetables are essential every day, but beware of the hidden calories in mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, and any veggies swimming in butter or cheese sauce. The same can be said of seafood and fish.

Also off the menu would be cream-based soups, and anything with a cream sauce on it. We are not only talking calories here, we are talking high in saturated fats. The same is true of nuts. If you are having poultry, avoid the dark meat.

Dairy is also essential, but try not to go for full fat if you have any control over the menu. Also, remember, the softer the cheese, the more fat!

If you are cooking for the holidays yourself, you will have a lot more control. If you are at your own home, this will be easy.   Plan a menu with lots of well-seasoned dishes. A little seasoning can go a long way toward curbing cravings. Try not to taste everything in sight, and do start with soup and salad so that you will already be pretty full before you ever get to the main event.

Beware of the dreaded leftovers as well, which can extend one day of indulgence into several. Send a little care package home with your guests, or freeze them into small tasty lunch sized homemade TV dinners.

If you are going out for the holiday, eat before you go. Again, soup and salad are excellent choices for making you feel full and satisfied. Be polite, but don’t load your plate. Or, offer to bring a dish you know you have made yourself that is not swimming in high-fat ingredients.

Also, if you are at a buffet, either take a small plate, or load it with salad or veggies first, then the more caloric foods. Make sure you load up on good lean protein if it is available, but again, no sauces or dark meat.

Avoid the dreaded dessert if possible, and beware of eggnog. If you do have to indulge, you and a friend might ‘buddy up’ and agree to share, just to keep an eye on one another.

One final check up, remember, it takes only 2000 additional calories to put on a pound, but 3000 to take one off. Do the math as you deal with your holiday meals, and that should keep you on the straight (and slim!) and narrow even with temptation coming at you from all sides.

Happy Holidays!