The holiday season doesn’t have to mean overindulgence.

The season’s renown for constant temptation, delectable nibbles, and full-scale feasting need not be equated with weight gain and guilt. The average person may gain weight in just two short weeks of December, yet there are ways to exercise restraint without missing a morsel.

The antidote for having to make New Year’s Resolutions about weight loss lies in a combination of moderation and wise decision-making in the kitchen. Every snack doesn’t have to be soaked in butter, deep fried, or layered with sugary icing. Instead of stark tradition, try pitching some sensible recipe planning into the mix. Fresh and organic instead of processed and artificial; cinnamon and honey instead of white sugar; sour cream instead of butter; sea salt instead of table salt. You won’t be denied flavour and you’ll be doing your body a favour.

There may be a cheese plate and open box of chocolates on every table, and enough shortbread, fruitcake, and eggnog to satisfy even those who were not capably satiated with that lavish, gather-round-the-table dinner. But even the serious gourmand knows when to lighten up.

Planet Organic’s online recipe corner has some delectable solutions:

• Try Grilled Wild Salmon with Wasabi Potato Salad. Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential for heart and brain function with lower blood pressure. Your guests will welcome the change of turkey and the trimmings.
• Cozy up in front of the fire with a piping hot mug of apple cider. A mug of Spiced Organic Apple Cheer, made with organic apple cider, organic pineapple, orange and lemon juices, plus honey, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a dash of sea salt gives you all the benefits of a whole apple and the citrus is a natural detoxifier.
• Try a soy eggnog, which contains half the calories and less than a quarter of the traditional Eggnog which is typically loaded with additives and upwards of 350 calories a cup (which will take you a whopping 2,100 jumping jacks to burn off!). Organic eggnog is deliciously rich and creamy, but made with one per cent low fat organic milk so you can enjoy the sweet taste without the fat.
• Planet Organic Market’s Christmas Cake (see recipe in the Goodness from our Kitchen section of this newsletter) is an all-natural affair without dyes, preservatives or artificial flavours — just lots of organic and unsulphured fruit, unbleached flour, alum-free baking soda, and other good-for-you goodies.

And speaking of goodies, when the pie tins and cookie sheets are greased and the annual baking fest begins, think about adding nutrition and subtracting fat. Use antioxidant-rich dried fruit and nuts; spices like cinnamon, which suppress blood sugar spikes; cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering whole-grain cereals; and even organic chocolate to help your heart and your mood.

Do you have a great tasting, healthy Christmas recipe? We’re inviting you, our customers and newsletter readers, to send us your favourite holiday recipes, and a selection of them will appear in the new “Holiday” section of our “Recipe Corner”.