We are deep into the holiday season. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are in the rear view mirror, and Christmas and the New Year are right around the corner. With holiday parties galore.

These are supposed to be happy times. But they can be challenging and stressful. Even more so if you’re trying to lose weight. Or in the home stretch of achieving your 2015 weight-loss goal.

But don’t worry. You can do this without a negative impact on your healthy lifestyle. Eating clean, even during the holidays is well within your control. It’s just gonna take a little more discipline and planning than usual. ‘Cause there are more temptations lurking at every turn. So learn to say NO!

Let’s start by linking back to our Thanksgiving post. In it you will find actionable ideas and tips to help you manage the “eating” part of the holidays. Adding to this list, you can:

• Prepare healthier appetizers and meals. If you’re going to a holiday party, consider bringing something healthy instead of a traditional holiday dessert.
• Minimize your alcohol intake. Alcohol equals empty calories. And enough of it can help you make bad decisions about your food choices that you will later regret.
• Eat healthy snacks throughout the day to keep hunger pains at bay. Things like raw veggies, fruit, nuts, and seeds. And consider preparing these in advance to save time.
• For a list of foods to avoid, link back to a previous post here.

Need some ideas for healthy snacks? Here’s a brief list:

• Raw veggies – sliced peppers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, radishes, cucumber, celery, grape tomatoes… And use caution with the dips and sauces. Best to go naked if you can.
• Fruit – Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced apples, kiwi, bananas, grapes… And olives (yes, they are a fruit).
• Peanuts, cashews, walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia… Just be sure to watch the calories and salt. Nuts are high in healthy fat which makes them high in calories. So stick to a handful or two a day.
• And zip-lock bags let you take all this good stuff on the go.

Here’s an article that I found online. I don’t know the company but the author makes some similar and valid points. It’s called 12 Healthy Ways to Survive a Holiday Eating Frenzy.

And finally, instead of leaving out a few cookies with a glass of milk for Santa this year, teach your kids a valuable lesson by leaving him a small plate of raw veggies with a glass of water. Just sayin’.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I’d love for you to let me know what you think by leaving a comment. Is the content valuable and helpful? Did anything resonate? Will you take action? What else would you like to see in future posts?

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