Cookies! Candy! Pies! Fancy little appetizers! From Thanksgiving through Christmas and Hanukah, to Super Bowl Sunday all the way until Valentine’s Day, your family will be eating, eating, eating!

Is that something to feel guilty about? No! Enjoying holiday treats is a time-honored tradition—and fun, too! No child (or adult) should be deprived of holiday treats. So, instead of wasting energy feeling guilty and worried this year…spend your energy finding clever ways to balance out your family’s indulgences with healthy behaviors.

Here are five proven strategies that will help your family stay healthy, while keeping the fun in your holidays:

Add Extra Fruits and Vegetables: During the holiday, add in fruits and vegetables whenever you can. Place a fruit bowl on the counter for snacking or keep a ready-to-eat bowl of cut up fruits in the refrigerator. Bring fruit along on outings as a snack. Offer your family raw veggies for dipping before dinner. You can even feed the family a fruit or veggie snack before attending a party or enjoying a dinner out.

Switch to Healthier Versions of Dairy Foods, Meats and Grains: Swap higher fat dairy foods and meats for lower fat versions, and switch to whole-wheat versions of favorite baked goods. Using nonfat milk, yogurt and sour cream makes up for some of the butter you’ll be eating this season. Likewise, choosing leaner meats (such as skinless poultry, extra-lean ham and extra-lean ground beef) will save calories for more “important” things! Also, add fiber and nutrients by enjoying whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, pasta and crackers. You might also try replacing half the flour in some of your recipes with whole-wheat flour.

Eat Only the Treats That You Love:  If you bring it into the house, your family will eat it—all of it! But you can cut down on how much you eat by becoming “picky” junk food eaters. That means you’ll get to enjoy your favorite treats but eliminate any that aren’t as popular. Buy or bake only top favorites (but in quantities you’ll feel good about seeing your family gobble up). If your family is given a treat that you don’t love as a gift, you can still feel appreciative without actually eating it. Turn down party leftovers and resist buying treats just because they are inexpensive. Then, when you do have favorite holiday treats on hand, store them out of sight so you’re family won’t mindlessly snack on them.

Plan Some Active Family Events:  Spend some holiday together time with active outings such as hiking or snowshoeing, visits to the zoo or museums, trying out an indoor rock climbing wall, visiting an indoor pool together or going skating. If you don’t have time for a big outing, just go outside together to play games like tag, jump rope or build a snowman.  Park your car and walk neighborhoods or downtown to see holiday decorations.

Buy Gifts that Promote Being Active: Include at least one gift for each child that will help them enjoy being active, such as a new bike, skates, balls and so on. A gift for the whole family, like a badminton set or snow shoes, can create a new opportunity for everyone to enjoy the double benefits of play and physical activity.