Tips to avoid over-eating include eat slowly and watch your portion sizes. Too much of a good thing can haunt you and your waistline throughout the holidays. Don't center your good times around food, he advises. Instead of eating your way through the holidays, focus on activities with family, friends, and the spirit of the season. Set attainable goals and stay active.
Physical activity can be as simple as walking, shopping or shooting baskets with a friend.
Activities will keep you busy, replace the urge to munch and make you feel better and be healthier. All three traditional holiday plants are poisonous, says Henry Besch, Jr., Ph.D., chairman of pharmacology and toxicology at IU School of Medicine. In fact, Dr. Besch says, only about 30 percent of plants are safe for human consumption. Eating mistletoe, particularly the berries, can cause vomiting, diarrhea and produce a slowed or irregular heart beat. Poinsettias when eaten can cause an upset stomach and the plant's sap when left on the skin can cause blistering.