A little indulgence is OK in your holiday diet

Dietitians say it's OK to indulge a bit over the holidays.

By Thurston Hatcher
CNN

(CNN) -- Be of good cheer: As you're munching your way through the holidays, you don't have to stick to sugar-free sugar cookies, nonfat nog and celery sticks.

In fact, health experts say it's really OK to indulge in a few of those not-so-nutritious treats now and then.

"I think it's important to strive for some sort of balance over the holidays," said dietitian Debra Wein of the Massachusetts-based Sensible Nutrition Connection.

"It becomes really difficult and, I think, self-defeating to think you're going to eat perfectly at the holidays or any time during the year."

The key, Wein and others say, is not to overload on that caramel-laced cheesecake. Then, exercise restraint at other points in the day or week.

"I don't say there's any one food they need to completely avoid. Instead I think it's more of a mind set," she says.

"I think that saying, 'Well, it is a holiday so I'll eat anything and everything that passes in front of me,' which sometimes happens -- that's what I try to warn people against."

American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Tammy Baker agrees, saying celebrants should allot their calories wisely.

"Pick those things you don't normally get to eat, and enjoy them thoroughly, instead of choosing a number of high-calorie foods that you might be able to have other times of year," said the Arizona-based dietitian, who cited egg nog as one of her holiday indulgences.

"You don't want to feel guilty about the foods you enjoy, and at the same time you don't want to feel like you're going to have to pay back later," Baker said.

The experts offered some other tips to keep in mind:

-- Watch your calories from beverages, alcoholic and otherwise, which can quickly add up without even filling you up. Try a diet soft drink or carbonated water with lime.

-- Eat a healthy, low-fat snack like fruit or a bagel before you go to a party, so you won't be as tempted to fill up on high-fat hors d'oeuvres.

-- Once at the party, don't hover over the buffet table and nibble. Instead, put some food on a plate, and when you're done, you'll feel more like you've had a meal and less inclined to keep on snacking.

-- Work some exercise into your holiday. "I always like to remind people that exercise needs to be a part of the routine. It clearly helps with weight management over the holiday," Wein says.