What can you eat during the holidays when trying to stick to a yeast-free diet?

Holiday festivities, parties, celebrations, dinners with families and friends can all make any type of diet a challenge. There are simple things we can all do to continue success and avoid the pitfalls of holiday eating.

Extravagant and excessive holiday food can be delicious but also unhealthy, especially when watching what you eat. Here are suggestions to feast without the yeast.

At the Buffet:

The table of food in front of you can be daunting, with all of the wonderful aromas and different foods. If you pick your way carefully through the line, it's easy to stick to your diet and still enjoy quite a few dishes.

Yeast-free foods you can enjoy without guilt:

• Meats, all kinds: Ham, turkey, beef
• Seafood
• Potatoes
• Rice dishes
• Veggie dishes and casseroles

Foods to avoid:

• Breads, rolls, biscuits
• Pasta casseroles, pizzas
• Sugar-laden casseroles (i.e. sweet potato casserole with brown sugar)
• Sugar-covered meat (chicken wings in sugar, "weenies" in sweet sauce)

At cocktail parties:

Alcoholic drinks and sodas are tempting fare but are full of sugar and some are even made with yeast. Worse yet, alcohol feeds on yeast so avoid partaking of spirits if you are following a strict yeast-free diet.

Fill up on permitted foods:

• Soda water or sparkling water with a slice of lime (unlimited)
• Iced tea
• Diet soda (if artificial sweetener is permitted on your version of the diet)

Finger Foods that you can gobble up

• Vegetable trays are your best friend, take advantage of all the vegetables and dips
• Nuts
• Cheese (No crackers- However, if you are hosting the party, provide gluten and wheat-free crackers. Varieties are available in major grocery retailers that are made out of almonds, hazelnuts and pecans)
• Corn Chips
• Salsa
• Fruit in moderation, especially if you have been on the diet awhile

*If you really want to have a cocktail, but not much guilt, try a Bloody Mary with just a splash of vodka.

At home:

Delicious baking is usually part of Christmas, Hanukah and other holiday traditions. So tempting are the cookies and candies, but also so full of sugar.

One way to still enjoy a little treat is to reduce the sugar in the recipe. Pies, for instance, can be reduced in sugar, sometimes by as much as half, and still taste good. If you don't eat the crust, a small slice of pie can be a nice indulgence.

Be careful though, sometimes changing the sugar in baking can change the balance of a recipe, so try a small batch with adjusted amounts to see if the taste and consistency work together.

Experiment with other sweeteners. Some practitioners suggest eliminating all forms of sweetener, others are less stringent. Individuals respond differently too.

Many people who follow an anti-candida eating plan will use Stevia, readily available in many stores, as a substitute for sugar. Individual tastes vary too. Some people prefer aspartame-type sweeteners that are in many sugar-free products. The reaction in your body is debated; some yeast-free diets suggest that our chemistry reacts to these sweeteners just like sugar, or has bad side effects. Others suggest it does not.

Keep lots of approved foods on hand during the holidays, cut-up vegetables on hand in the refrigerator. Nuts, rice cakes and other crunchy treats are good too. Don't keep sweets in the house. They're too tempting and hard to resist.

The best way to success during the holidays is to stick to your regular eating plan as closely as you can. Everyone has a bad day or a slip. Just remember, if you have a "bad day", don't stop or give up. The next day is a new day and just begin again.

And certainly you should treat yourself on occasion. Just remember, if you are going to indulge yourself, limit the sugary item to moderation and keep it as a treat, not the norm.