Perfect example: last night I was working on my taxes with my husband Bruce and the TV was playing in the background.  We had an early dinner, about 6:15.  Mind you, it was really healthy — turkey meatloaf, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and quinoa tabouli.  I was priding myself on the fact that it was light and delicious, I ate just the right amount and I felt satisfied. Throw in the fact that we leisurely ate at the table, a friend stopped by and we all caught up on our days, and I just had to chalk it up to an enjoyable experience.

But when I fast forwarded several hours, I was seriously getting hungry.  My first inclination was to get some of my favorite gluten-free snack: Mary’s Gone Crackers.  We have a stash of the herb crackers and they’re perfect with hummus.  Then I entertained the idea of some gluten-free bread with peanut butter or an apple.

But then I thought twice and reached for water instead.

Whenever I eat late at night, I never sleep as well. Sometimes I feel restless, sometimes I seem to have the oddest dreams and sometimes it feels like I wake up feeling tired.  The truth of the matter is that our bodies do best when we go to bed having had time to digest our food. Eating late means they’re often working over time as we sleep to digest things instead of simply resting.

Water is great because it can fill you up and nip hunger pangs in the bud. And no, I don’t mean I drank a gallon, just a 10 ounce glass.  Even better, drinking the water didn’t disturb my sleep, I didn’t drink so much that I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I felt great when I woke up this morning.

The trick for me is to pause before I act. Instead of just mindlessly grabbing and gobbling up a snack, I took the time to think through what was most important for me.

What do you do to stave off late night hunger? Have you ever tried drinking water as a simple solution to nip snacking in the bud?

The question is, did you enjoy Thanksgiving in moderation, consciously eating and feeling good afterward, or did you fall off the wagon of your healthy plan, eating plentiful amounts of pumpkin pie, mac and cheese and stuffing?

If you’re in the camp of not doing as well as you would have liked, now’s the time to course correct and get back on the track before Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s, not to mention the plethora of holiday parties, throw you off track for good! In fact it’s possible to go to your favorite functions and completely enjoy yourself without letting out some space in your belt buckle.

The key is to getting into action immediately (as in this week!) to rein in your eating. Here are three simple steps to get you started:

• Use Thanksgiving leftovers for healthy, low fat dishes — I’m a big fan of turkey chili and turkey soup. In fact, I already whipped up some tasty turkey soup yesterday with lots of fresh veggies and brown rice noodles. I added carrots, onion, celery and fresh spinach along with fresh dill and parsley. Light and refreshing.
• Drink up — water that is. Have you been so busy eating and even drinking a bit more than usual that your water intake has gone down? It’s super easy to get dehydrated and dehydration often masks itself as hunger when in reality a tall glass of water can relieve those hunger pangs instantly. Not to mention make us feel a lot more alert and energetic.
• Be conscious of everything you put in your mouth this week. If this weekend was about too much celebration, think carefully about everything you plan to put into your mouth. Do you need it or simply want it? How can you eat less of it and still be satisfied? Start with small portions and choose wisely. Your increased awareness alone can save you LOTS of calories.

What’s your personal plan to stay on track with healthy eating and feel your best during the holidays? One’s one thing you’ll start doing this week?

Although snacks are no substitute for loving your life, they can be great energy boosters, mood lifters and a healthy and fun way to keep your body fully nourished-as long as you use a little common sense. So many convenient snack foods are highly processed and full of chemicals, additives, damaging fats and refined sugars. When a snack attack hits you, try foods that are filling and satisfying, but also nutritious. Snack on things that don’t come in a plastic wrapper or a box, like fresh fruit, leftover vegetables or rice cakes with almond butter and fruit spread. Make your own signature trail mix, have organic hot chocolate sweetened with agave nectar and almond milk, or munch on blue corn chips with hummus.

You can also try “upgrading.” If you are craving something crunchy, upgrade from potato chips to raw carrots, apples or wholegrain crackers; if you are craving a candy bar, upgrade to a handful of nuts and dried fruit; instead of a cup of coffee upgrade to green tea; instead of ice cream, upgrade to applesauce with cinnamon. Upgraded snacks are high in nutrition and give you a greater sense of satiety and satisfaction; you won’t feel physically or psychologically deprived, and you’ll have plenty of energy to sustain your activities for many hours.

Snacking is something to look forward to, and there are a wide variety of healthful goodies for whatever you’re craving, be it sweet, crunchy, salty, creamy or spicy. Dive in, be creative and enjoy your snack attack.

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils. For sautéing and baking, try butter, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil, because they do not break down when used at higher temperatures. When sautéing and stovetop cooking at moderate temperatures, try organic extra virgin olive oil. Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains. Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini. Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fats, along with wild salmon and omega 3-6 organic eggs. Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which agree with you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes. Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined. Words to avoid are expeller- pressed, refined and solvent extracted and cold- processed.