The holidays are coming, and some of us are getting pretty nervous. All those yummy cookies and grandma's delicious dinner. How can I possibly survive the holidays without gaining any weight? I will tell you exactly how to control the munchies and your food portions so that this festive season will be a breeze for you.

The first thing you need to know is that you can eat all foods while you control your weight effectively.

The second thing you need to know is that weight gain is likely to occur if you overindulge on the high-calorie holiday foods. It all boils down to one simple equation: energy in (calories eaten) must equal energy out (calories spent) in order to keep your weight constant. If you ingest more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. So, you have two options: 1) Exercise more, or 2) Eat less. Since most of us will be so busy preparing for the holiday season and won't find time to get the extra exercise in, we must concentrate on eating less.

Here are a few simple ways to cut the calories while still managing to enjoy the holidays:

Here are some tasty, low-fat recipes you can use for your holiday table:

Cranberry Nut Bread

• 1 cup White Flour
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1 cup Margarine
• 1 cup Egg Substitute such as Egg Beaters
• 2 tsp Grated Orange Peel
• 1 cup Chopped Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 cup Chopped Walnuts
• 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1-2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In another bowl, blend juice, margarine, egg substitute, and orange peel; add to flour mixture, stirring until blended. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Grease the bottom of a 8 x 4 x 2 inch loaf pan, and pour batter in. Bake for 60 minutes or until done. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and continue cooling on a wire rack. Mix powdered sugar and water to form a paste, and drizzle over cooled loaf.

Cranberry Apple Crisp

• 1 stick of Margarine
• 2 cup Flour
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 can Whole Cranberry Sauce
• 4 Granny Smith or McIntosh Apples, diced

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square pan. Combine margarine, flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Press batter into the bottom of the pan. Mix apples and cranberries together and pour into pan. Cover with remaining batter. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy Holiday! Enjoy!

Nutitionist Bonnie Nasar, RD, graduated from New York University with a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Food Studies. She completed her dietetic internship at Harlem Hospital in NYC. In addition to a private practice, Bonnie also works as a consultant to a nursing home in Red Bank, New Jersey. Ms Nasar has also worked at American Health Magazine.