The holidays are a time for the 3 F’s. No, not Freakishly Fattening Foods (this article should help to avoid that). I’m talking about Family, Friends, and FOOD. Easily substituted for “Feast”, this is a time of the year which consists of gargantuan portions put forth in an array of courses from appetizers to desserts. Between the eggnog and apple pie, the average American will consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat, on Thanksgiving alone!

Here are a few tips to help you survive the holidays and avoid the previoulsy mentioned and dreaded, Freakishly Fattening Foods :

1. Go with white turkey meat over the dark meat and save up to 200 cals and 6 g of fat. 
2. Make your own cranberry sauce and avoid the sugar and other unbeknownst additives mixed into the canned stuff. 
3. Load up on veggie sides like green bean casserole and sweet potato and skip the nutrition-less cornbread and stuffing.
4. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a piece of pumpkin pie, one of the lowest calorie slices around. You can also check out a few more swaps in this video or this slideshow from the editors of Men’s Health’s “Eat This, Not That.”
5. Stay active! You can still watch the Turkey Bowl, just don’t let the tryptophan get the best of you. Head outside at half time to marvel at and attempt to recreate the precision and accuracy of Brady ;)