Writer's column on ways to eat healthy this holiday season

The holiday season is approaching, and with an abundance of traditional American delicacies, the table looks plentiful and the smells of home-style cooking waft throughout the house. It is often the holidays that reveal the notion of enjoying the moment. Some may feel the need to make declarations toward change, deemed effective due to new year's resolutions.

Opportunistic eaters who become habituated to overeating have easy access to second helpings, and seams give and buttons unfasten as plates are cleared away. The eating habits are passed on like a disease and the lot's waistline tends to expand like black bears destined to hibernate through the colder months.

The holiday season can be full of dinner parties and celebrations centered on eating. A lot of times, at a holiday party loved ones will gorge themselves with knives and forks. Avoid the holiday aftermath of self-loathsome behavior by approaching the holiday season with less na*vity, steady with your healthy eating plan and respecting of your health.

Amid all the temptation, constant nibbling and grazing on everything tends to be the culprit.

"Have a snack before the party so you're not hungry," said Anne B. Marietta, Ph. D., R.D., L.D., associate professor in the Department of Human Environmental Sciences and member of the American Dietetic Association.

Most people go to parties hungry, thinking that they will eat fewer calories, then end up eating everything. Having that snack gives you the strength to pass up the second plate or dessert. Take notice of your eating habits and if you feel like you had enough, then stop. Eat until you're satisfied, not stuffed.

At the end of the party there will usually be a fridge full of leftovers that people can enjoy the next day.

Favorite holiday drinks such as eggnog, hot chocolate with heavy portions of whipped cream as well as alcohol could be cause for weight gain due to calories and sugar. For example, a grande (16oz) Starbucks peppermint white chocolate mocha, 2% milk, with the whipped cream topping is 520 calories.

"Watch for liquid calories," Marietta said.

The holiday season is a time when people tend to veer away from healthy eating, bombarded by the temptations of sweets and large amounts of food. Justification of stuffing yourself is easy to make, the food is tasty and there is enough to go around, and out of custom it is only polite to try everything.

"If you go off of your healthy diet it is OK," Marietta said.

Worrying about a few extra calories during the season will not have a large effect on weight or on your health. During the holidays work on maintaining your current weight and be realistic with yourself.

Concentrate on the meaning of the holidays, it is a time that is best spent adored by the clutch of loved ones. The holiday season provides an opportunity to entertain friends and create memories with family. Have those memories be based on the conversation and activities, be charming and do not worry about the food. The holidays are about being guilt free, and if your favorite dish is pumpkin pie, just have a little bit.