Holiday eating truths and errors

Between shopping for food for entertaining and enjoying holiday parties with family and friends, healthy eating routines often suffer the same fate as a Christmas tree in January.

Nutrition myths abound during the season, but armed with some strategies, you can battle the holiday bulge. Here are just a few of the season's food facts and fallacies.

Keep your diet plans to yourself
False
Telling everyone that I'm trying to eat only healthy choices through the holidays is a terrific way to enlist support.

Fact
It's much safer to be low key. An announcement like this can instead bring out the guilt in a person who has just decided to enjoy a decadent delight (and to respond by heaping food on you). Or it can prod a friend who has slaved over her holiday baking to insist that you try some.

Eat before you party
False
Eating lightly the day of a party allows me to binge at the bash.

Fact
If you arrive at a party starving, you're more likely to hijack the first hors d'oeuvres tray you see. Before you can say Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, the cheese plate may be history.

Stay in control -- don't skip meals earlier in the day. Have a snack before you head to the festivities. A bowl of broth or vegetable soup or some fruit and low-fat yogurt can take the edge off your appetite so you can be selective about your food choices.

Drinks factor into your calorie count
False
If it's liquid, it's not fattening!

Fact
In some cases, drinks do more to foil your girth-control efforts than even nuts and other holiday fare. Sugary beverages won't satisfy your appetite; you'll eat the same amount whether you drink water or a 12-ounce cola (140 calories). The same goes for alcohol.

And since booze is dehydrating, you'll want to toss back more after your first glass. Popular protein-rich drinks such as eggnog are annual rituals, but they pack a mighty caloric wallop at almost 350 calories and 20 grams of fat per cup.

Mind the desserts
False
Meringue-based treats are more calorie-conscious options than “heavier” choices such as chocolate cake.

Fact
It's true that the meringue itself -- basically sugar and egg whites -- doesn't carry a heavy caloric load, but it's often partnered with cream and nuts, which can send the caloric counts soaring.

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