- [Lorie] Ideally, we'deat only a bite or two

of decadent holiday foods,

or just a sip of those highcalorie seasonal drinks.

In reality, not so much.

The average American gainsabout eight to 10 pounds

from Thanksgiving until New Year's.

- [Lorie] Health experts say

the reason behind those extra pounds

is a literal addiction to ingredients

in today's holiday fair.

- Although most medicaldoctors now fully recognize

that foods can beaddictive for some people,

we don't have it as anactual medical diagnosis.

- [Lorie] More than 60% ofAmericans are overweight

and food addiction specialist

Dr. Nicole Avena blame sweeteners,

especially when combined

with the chemicals in processed foods.

They hijack our minds.

And this pattern can leadto heart disease, cancer,

even Alzheimer's.

- When people are consumingthese types of foods

over the course of a lifetime,

they can gunk up the works in many ways,

and that helps to decreaseour cognitive functioning.

And, you know, reduce ourability to think clearly.

And this gets more and more apparent

as people get older.

- [Lorie] After a twomonth feeding frenzy,

it's really hard to kickthe habit come January.

- And what happens a few days into it,

they start to feel likea headache and lethargic,

and they start to feel irritable.

That's sugar withdrawal.

The majority of diets thatend on January fifth or sixth,

are because people areexperiencing that sugar withdrawal.

- The good news is we canavoid becoming addicted

to these foods during the holidays

thanks to tips that are proven to work.

Like don't let yourself get too hungry,

because that's when wereach for this stuff.

Instead, drink lots of water.

And it may sound strange,

but eat a salad full of fresh vegetables

before you head out tothat holiday gathering.

While there, focus onfellowship, not food.

- If you're invited to a holiday event,

you don't have to bring dessert.

You can bring somethinghealthy that you wanna eat,

so that way if everyone's putting out

their items on the table

you'll know that there's atleast thing that's healthy.

- [Lorie] You also needto be on guard at work,

so arm yourself with snackslike nuts, fresh fruit,

or even a hard boiled egg

to guard against surpriseattacks of holiday goodies

in the office break room.

Well meaning loved ones

often pressure us intoeating unhealthy foods,

but a tactful response canpreserve the relationship

and your waistline.

- Kind of preparing yourself

with a healthy happy no thank you,

or the dish looks great but I'm full.

It's been a delight.

So learning how to politely say no,

can be very engagingduring a holiday party

without being overbearing or insulting.

- We can still scratch thatholiday food and beverage itch

by replacing traditional favorites

with items that are almost as tasty,

but with no regrets.

For example, peppermint teainstead of peppermint candy.

Dark chocolate instead of fudge.

And chopped Apple withgranola instead of cookies.

- It's all about the swaps, right?

We don't wanna depriveourselves of anything,

especially around the holiday.

So it's really just about figuring out

what it is that you like,

and then coming up witha healthier alternatives.

- [Lorie] Finally, maketime for plenty of sleep,

exercise, and prayer.

Research shows thesereduce the stress hormone

that causes us to crave unhealthy foods.

And weigh yourself daily,

studies show people who perform

this simple reality check tend to eat less

than those who don't.

Lorie Johnson, CNB News.