First things first - it's not just about the holidays.
"I think that on a daily basis, whether it's holiday time or not, but particularly during holidays that you affirm every day your commitment to be healthy. And one of the things that's really important to me is that I'm really particular about what I eat,” said Castle Medical Center nutritionist, Ruby Hayasaka.
That's important.
You don't have to eat everything that's in the buffet.
"Choose your foods carefully so that you can savor the things that you really enjoy, and not waste calories on things that you're eating things that sometimes you might eat just to be socially acceptable,” she said.
Ruby emphasizes another important point during the holiday season.
In addition to watching what you eat - and how much - you should also maintain your regular exercise routine, maybe even up the ante a bit.
"I know that my children are coming home for the holidays and they love to compete against each other - so we're going to be doing some bike riding, some swimming, and doing some competition amongst ourselves,” she said.
Ruby has another good idea when you're invited to a party.
"When it's your turn to decide what you're going to bring, bring something that has lots of fruits and vegetables in it or whole grains so you know there's something you can fall back on and not have only the things that are high in fat and sugar,” she said.
Ruby's most important words of advice - don't give up if you happen to have an extra piece of chocolate cake during the holidays. "Living a healthy lifestyle is a way of life and it's not on a daily basis a do or die thing. So if you mess up on a day, just keep on going and enjoy your holidays."
