Nutrition Frenzy

You don’t have to be a Scrooge with these nutritious and delicious treats

Ah, those holiday temptations … Christmas cookies. Cheese balls. Egg nog. You know you really want to be naughty when standing next to a table filled with such buttery and sweet goodies, but you don’t want to deal with all that post-party guilt.

Relax. In the spirit of spreading good cheer, here are nine temptations you can indulge in to make your season merry and bright.

Cozy up to the nut dish

Once shunned as high-calorie diet wreckers, now we know it’s OK to go a little bit nuts for nuts. They’re nutrient-rich and filled with vitamins B6 and E plus copper, magnesium and zinc — vitamins and minerals that are great for your immune system, as well as your heart, brain and bones.

Tip a glass of holiday cheer

Moderate drinking (defined as no more than two drinks a day for men younger than 65, and one drink a day for women or men older than 65) is linked with lower risk for heart disease, stroke, gallstones and diabetes. However, it’s what’s in the glass that counts.

Resveratrol in red wine offers heart benefits by keeping blood vessels supple and preventing plaque from depositing on artery walls. Resveratrol and other antioxidants in grapes may also keep the platelets in blood from clumping and forming clots.

Treat yourself to some sweets

It may surprise you, but the best way to watch your weight may be to surround yourself with a few temptations. A recent study by Belgium researchers found that having indulgences within arm’s reach can actually help you build willpower and lead to more lasting success with weight control. If you banish all food temptations, you can’t learn self-control.

Indulge in breakfast

Skipping breakfast or another meal so you can load up at the holiday buffet doesn’t work. You’ll simply end up tired, cranky and ravenous. By the time the party rolls around, you’ll scarf down anything and everything in your path.

Your metabolism may slow to compensate for the lack of energy (calories) you’ve supplied, which means your body may downshift and actually burn fewer calories in order to conserve energy. Waiting too long between meals backfires, too. A recent study found that when people who normally ate every four hours waited five hours until they ate again, they consumed an extra 50 calories at the next meal. Going from four hours to six hours between meals tacked on 90 more calories at the next meal. Keep it up for several meals and days and you’ll see the scale creep up.

Veggies (with a bit of dip) are your friends

If vou want to keep from overeating, fill your plate with raw vegetables. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University fed subjects varying amounts of vegetables as part of a meal containing roast beef and rice. The more vegetables the participants ate, the less rice and beef — and the fewer calories — the subjects consumed. The authors of the study also found participants ate more vegetables when a little flavoring was added to them.

Dance away the calories

Try your own version of “Dancing With the Stars.” For every 15 minutes spent whirling around the room, a 150-pound person will burn about 85 calories. A 200-pound person can burn 115 calories. The more you move and groove, the more calories burned. A sweaty samba beats the waltz; disco and hip-hop burn away those cake calories.

Go crazy for cranberries

Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and two types of healthy phytonutrients — flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. Flavonoids may slow the build up of plaque inside arteries by lowering bad cholesterol levels and raising good cholesterol.

Cranberries also fight bacteria associated with ulcers, urinary tract infections and acid reflux. Cranberry juice mixed with plain seltzer is a festive, light beverage. Check juice labels. Pick a 100 percent cranberry juice or a cocktail which lists cranberry juice as the first ingredient.

The great pumpkin really is

When it comes to pies, pumpkin delivers a decent nutrition punch. One slice contains 250 percent of the vitamin A you should have in a day. One slice also contains calcium, thiamin, riboflavin and 5 grams of fiber. A piece of pumpkin pie has 310 calories and 14 grams of fat, 5 of which is saturated. But if you skip the crust you can trim one-third of the fat and one-third of the calories, yet keep all the beta-carotene and many of the other nutrients.

Please yourself with peppermint

Cooling peppermint is a classic holiday treat. The herb peppermint helps relax muscles. It can ease headaches and offers a calming and soothing effect on upset stomachs. It aids digestion by improving the flow of bile (needed to digest fats).

If you tend to overeat, try sucking on a peppermint candy cane, made with real peppermint. One candy cane contains between 30 and 60 calories, depending on size, and zero fat. If you want to avoid sugar, sip on peppermint tea made with real peppermint leaves. Rubbing peppermint oil on your forehead and temples can help relieve tension-related headaches.