My inbox is suddenly flooded with reminders that the holidays are rapidly approaching. Thanksgiving and Christmas are our family's favorite time of year.  We love to spend time together planning, preparing and simply enjoying the holiday season.  Along with the holidays come the traditional increase in eating and weight that most people face between October and December.  We often feel helpless to stop over-indulging and splurging on all of those traditional holiday sweets and dishes.  It doesn't have to be that way though.  Studies show that the vast majority of people will gain an average of 1.5 pounds in these last 3 months of the year and only be able to lose about 0.2 pounds the following year - leaving us with an overall weight gain which adds up from year to year.  However, studies have also shown that those individuals who continue to consume a low fat, high fiber diet through the holidays will NOT face the temptations and weight gain.  Now, to most people a low fat, high fiber diet may sound dreadful and depressing, I am here to help you see that it's not.  There are so many good and healthy recipes and substitutions for "traditional" dishes that there is no reason to feel deprived during the holidays.  There are very few recipes that can't be modified to include whole, plant-based foods instead of highly processed, animal-based ingredients.  A little creativity and willingness to experiment are crucial - as well as a little help.  While preparing your Thanksgiving menus you may find the recipes listed here to be helpful.  Remember that there is often room to "indulge" a little if you simply build in a little margin in your eating.