Both dietitians with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's Dial a Dietitian program encourage people to indulge during the holiday season. 

Lise Timmerman and Coralee Hill say they get a lot of calls around this time of year from people worried they're going to gain too much weight during the holidays, or possibly lose some of the progress they'd made leading up to the season. 

"There tends to be a lot of stress and fear at this time and we just wanted to empower people with the message that they can get through the holidays with their health and happiness in tact," Timmerman said. "It is essentially just a few meals and what we do the rest of the year matters far more." 

Hill says people are often presented with more sensationalized information about what not to eat, or tips on how to avoid unhealthy foods over the holidays. 

She says that is something that can be damaging. 

"We're hoping to send a softer message around eating well that doesn't just apply over the holidays," Hill said. "We can indulge and that's typical behaviour for everyone, and we want to celebrate that and bring family traditions together this time of year so we're not shaming people who make those choices." 

Hill says the myth of "holiday weight" also pushes people to avoid the foods they enjoy. 

"It tends to be really overestimated," she said. "It's really only one pound. The majority of people are still making good choices and listening to their body and if they're feeling overstuffed, the next day they might eat a little less."

"We're hoping people will still be active as well and we just want people to know that it is OK to have seconds." 

Both Hill and Timmerman also acknowledge the holidays as a time when people overindulge, so they are encouraging people to stop when they think they've reached their limit. 

"Trust your appetite," Timmerman said. "It's fine to indulge but it's also fine to pass or say no. It's your choice."  

The Dial a Dietitian program is a free service for people looking for health and diet tips.