Holidays are torture for anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and most especially so for diabetics. With so many tasty treats and forbidden fare being shoved at you day after day, what is the best way to cope, and hang onto your health?

This article offers some tips that may help anyone looking to avoid unhealthy eating habits over the holidays.

Step away from the buffet. Never show up at a holiday party with an empty stomach.

Those are just two ways a little planning and self-control can help people enjoy a healthy holiday despite the temptations of fattening treats and alcohol at parties and family gatherings.

"It really does help to have a game plan and also not to go to a party hungry," said Carol Schindler, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick. "Then you're really setting yourself up for overeating."

Have fun, stay healthy, and have a terrific holiday season!