Have your pie and eat it, too

Eggnog. Sugar cookies. Pumpkin pie.\nWith the holidays comes a swirl of tasty treats and home-cooked meals that can tempt even the most stalwart dieters into a sugary heaven. But does a flurry of high-calorie foods forecast weight gain when winter arrives? \nBalancing each holiday helping with physical activity leaves room in every diet for the delicious foods that become prevalent as the new year approaches.\nWhile genetics plays a major role in body shape, weight management is governed by a simple equation: Calories in must equal calories out to maintain a stable weight. To avoid the winter weight gain, what you eat must eventually be worked off.\n"If you want fun foods and extra helpings, realize there has to be a way to burn them off," said Dawn Lukas, an IU Health Center dietitian.\nWhile the end of the semester near the holiday season is a busy time of year for students, mindless overindulgence doesn't have to lead to weight gain. Before grabbing another chocolate-chip cookie, take a moment to ponder some physics.\nSince a calorie is merely a unit of energy, one calorie coming from a chocolate-chip cookie provides the same amount of energy as one from an apple. In essence, to the body, a calorie is a calorie. If too many calories are eaten, the body stores them for later.\n"We need just what our body can use," Lukas said.\nWhat makes an apple healthier than a cookie is the quality of all the other nutrients -- vitamins, minerals and fiber -- in the fruit's energy content. \nEvery person has a set calorie allotment the body can process. Fortunately, there is room for all the cookies, chips and other favorite treats in every diet, Lukas said. \n"Energy is simply trading off," she said. She emphasized balance between all types of foods.\nHealthy eating comes down to capacity -- how many calories a body can handle. The foods that fit comfortably into one person's diet might be the recipe for weight gain in another. Lukas said everyone should ask: What does my body need to be healthy?\nFruits and vegetables might be a no-brainer, but does lemon-meringue pie fit? Unfortunately, the lemon is not enough to put this beloved pie in the fruit category. Instead, it falls in a special group known as discretionary calories.\nIn the current version of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid, there is a small yellow sliver for the food group dedicated to lemon-meringue pie and all its sweet, salty and savory companions. \nThe pyramid recommends limiting high-sugar and high-fat foods to daily servings of 250 to 500 calories. The amount depends on a person's sex, calorie needs and activity level.\nLimiting these discretionary calories might be more difficult at home if food selections change, as they often do during the holidays. The result might be overeating, especially when the selections include more sweets and calorie-dense foods than usual. \nSenior Megan Rose said that with homemade and better-tasting foods available at home, she snacks on top of meals. Regardless of a food's nutrient value, eating more can cut into a person's discretionary calorie allotment. Wary of the larger portions, Rose said she appreciates the change from quick, boxed or frozen dinners. \n"I'm excited to go home for the food," she said.\nGetting regular physical activity, such as walking to class or using the gym facilities on campus, might not be a priority or even possible during the break. Rose said she continues to exercise at a local community center, but senior Gretchen Fasnacht said she takes a break from her exercise routine over the holidays. \n"I make sure I get back into things," Fasnacht said about restarting her exercise routine on campus after break. "Everybody wants to go home and enjoy (food)."\nEnjoying the seasonal foods and meals is a holiday tradition, but overdoing it can add to weight gain. Awareness of how much one eats coupled with regular exercise -- whether it is skiing, window-shopping or dancing -- can help break this dreaded holiday cycle.\nHealthy food choices and physical activity should be second nature, no matter what season it is, Lukas said. \n"Conscious eating has to be there all year round," she said. "It has to be a lifestyle"