For many Americans, the holidays mean eating, and eating means weight gain. For those trying to avoid that weight gain, there are several strategies to stay healthy while enjoying Grandma’s dressing.

Sheena Quizon, dietician at the Student Health Center, said indulging in moderation and being aware of options is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight over the holidays.

“Check out what options are available so you can prioritize what you really want to eat that day instead of just mindlessly filling your plate with a bit of everything available,” Quizon said. “If you know you love a certain dish more than another, make a priority to ‘spend your calories’ on a dish you enjoy instead of just eating other dishes just because they’re there.”

The Alabama Department of Public Health recommends avoiding mindless plate filling by choosing healthier items first.

“Go for the healthier food items first. If you pick the foods that are lower in calories first, then there will be less room for the not so healthy food items,” according to ADPH’s Healthy Holiday Tips.

Quizon recommends utilizing the resources on choosemyplate.gov, a nutrition website from the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, to build a balanced holiday meal.

“By making at least half of your plate a non-starchy vegetable dish such as green beans, broccoli and asparagus and then one-fourth of your plate a starch such as mac and cheese, yams or mashed potatoes and the other one-fourth of your plate your protein such as ham or turkey, this can help decrease the amount of calories that could be eaten,” Quizon said. “This especially important since we sometimes tend to make about half or three-fourths of our plate starches with very little fruit or vegetable representation.”

The Alabama Department of Public Health advises against going to holiday gatherings on an empty stomach.

“Try to curb your appetite before going to a gathering by eating and drinking something that is healthy and satisfying before you go,” according to ADPH’s Healthy Holiday Tips. “If you are not hungry when you get there, you’ll be less likely to overeat while there.”

The USDA Center for Nutrition and Policy Promotion recommends taking time to enjoy your food to avoid overeating.

“Savor your food,” according to USDA’s Ten Tips for Healthy Meals. “Eat slowly, enjoy the taste and textures, and pay attention to how you feel. Be mindful. Eating very quickly may cause you to eat too much.”

Quizon said students’ biggest downfall in maintaining healthy weight over the holidays is practicing different, unhealthy habits over holiday break.

“I think that we need to get out of the mindset of thinking that just because school is out, we have to abandon our normal eating and exercise routine that we may have practiced during the school year,” Quizon said. “Making sure to not have the ‘it’s the holidays, I can eat whatever I want’ mentality during the entire winter break can be the difference in gaining one pound or 10 pounds over the holidays.”