With Thanksgiving just around the corner and the Christmas and Hanukkah season soon after, this is the time of year when sticking to a healthy diet can be most challenging. The change of season alone can cause some people to overeat, especially those in cold climates, and combined with the stress of the holidays and an abundance of seasonal foods, the temptation can become overwhelming for some. These tips will help you to avoid overdoing it, even in the midst of Thanksgiving leftovers, Christmas cookies and sugarcoated candies, and make sure that you enjoy all that the holiday season has to offer without your waistline having to suffer.

Don’t Starve Yourself

The number-one rule to avoid holiday overeating is to make sure you eat enough. This is not the time to start restricting your calories to the point where you’re so hungry even your great aunt’s fruitcake starts to look good.

The trick is to eat small meals or snacks frequently throughout the day. This way, you won’t ever really feel hungry, and you’ll be able to resist all those grains and high-sugar foods that will sabotage your healthy diet.

Fill up on all the nutritious foods, like healthy meat, raw milk cheese, vegetables, coconut or some berries, that you want and you won’t feel that you’re missing out.

Buy a Special Holiday Outfit

This tip can work for both men and women. Whether you decide to indulge in a new blouse, dress or a special shirt and tie, purchase something that you are really looking forward to wearing and that you feel good about.

When you feel good about yourself on the outside, it will help you to respect yourself from the inside and you’ll be less inclined to reach for the pumpkin pie.

Get Some Fresh Air

Taking a quick walk outside will not only give you a quick burst of energy, it will also take your mind off of food. By the time you come back inside, you’ll feel invigorated and your food cravings will likely be diminished.

Taking a walk after dinner is also a great idea. Moving around will help your meal to digest and reduce your chance of becoming sluggish or tired.

Make Some Nutritious Dishes

With a little creativity you can create healthy holiday foods that taste great and will fit right in with the traditional fare. Check out the great-tasting healthy eggnog recipe below for a great example.

Some basic changes can make your holiday meals much more nutritious. Instead of potatoes and bread, have a variety of healthy vegetable side dishes. If you must have potatoes, use sweet potatoes or even mashed cauliflower. And, make sure that you choose healthy meat that is not filled with antibiotics and hormones.

Healthy Eggnog

1-2 organic, raw eggs
2-3 ounces raw cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (organic, no alcohol)
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender and it’s ready to serve!

For even more delicious holiday recipes, watch for my new book, "Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program: 150 Delicious Grain-Free Recipes & The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease, Optimize Weight and Live Longer," due out this December.

Deal With Your Emotions

Many of your food cravings have nothing to do with physical cravings and are actually emotionally based. You may associate certain holiday foods with the comfort of your childhood and be tempted to overeat them to try and regain that sense of comfort. Or, the stress of the holidays may be behind your overeating.

For these types of cravings, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is remarkably effective. EFT blends the power of positive thinking and affirmations with principles adopted from Eastern medical practices, particularly acupuncture. In acupuncture the specific "energy points" in the body are manipulated toward rebalancing the body’s bioenergy system. In EFT, these energy points are simply tapped, as it has been found that simply applying this pressure, without inserting any needles, will produce the desired effect. So this "tapping" is done in concert with repeating positive affirmations, and corny as it may appear, the results are profound.

You can read through my free EFT manual for step-by-step instructions on how to perform EFT.

It’s Just Another Meal

Focus on the real meaning of the holidays and you’ll quickly see that family and friends are at the center. Take advantage of this time with your loved ones, and look forward to talking and being with those who you care about, rather than focusing on food.

Your perceptions will have a great impact. If you think that you should eat a lot just because it is Thanksgiving or Christmas, then you probably will. However, if you look at it as though it is just another meal, then it will be easier to keep your eating habits under control.

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