Holidays and eating. A great idea at first, but a terrible decision after the fact.

That's why the Five Hills Health Region is here to help with not only holiday eating, but eating on an everyday basis.

First off, holiday eating.

With so many carbs and sugars tempting us to stray away from health and eating, it's good to keep your mind on the importance of not only moderation, but right choices.

FHHR Public Health Nutritionist Melanie Warken, says that a good tip is making sure you plate has variety on it through colours.

"The more colour our plate has the more nutrition we tend to get," said Warken.

Portioning is important too, half a plate of vegetable, a quarter plate of carbohydrates (preferably whole grain), and a quarter plate of more lean proteins is the perfect amount.

Also, if you do plan on eating more, Warken said you should add more physical activity into your day.

Surprisingly enough, holiday eating with other people is good for you in more ways than you may think.

"We tend to eat healthier and eat healthier portions when we eat with other people. If you don't have any family or friends available to eat with then try to reach out to a neighbour. It's really good for our mental and our social health to be enjoying food with other people."

Warken gave tips on healthy eating in your day to day life too.

One good tip is making sure to eat breakfast and eat healthy snacks throughout the day.

"The reason for that is because it helps you to hold an appetite so if we get too hungry at one point in time we tend to overeat and overindulge. So, by eating regular meals and especially our breakfast, it's one of our most important meals of the day, it helps prevent us from overindulging later on in the day."

Warken adds that drinking two to three liters of water is another thing that will help you control your hunger.

You can also check out Health Canada for more tips on holiday eating.