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Along with back-to-school and early glimpses of autumn colors, it's time for less celebrated fall rituals like breaking out the winter clothes and adjusting the exercise routine for cooler temperatures. For some of us, squeezing into last year's pants can be as terrifying as selecting a bathing suit. For others, the prospect of trading long bike rides and marathon runs for time on the treadmill or stationery bike puts our motivation to the test.

You don't have to hibernate during fall and winter. Nor do you need to resign yourself to added pounds and inches during the upcoming holiday season. The nutritionists and chefs at Colavita, co-title sponsor of the Colavita-Bolla Professional Cycling Team, recommend some simple steps to make the holidays more healthy without comprising flavor, including:

• Use extra virgin olive oil to replace less healthy fats
• Eliminate or reduce the amount of butter or margarine used to prepare dishes, spreads, sauces and desserts.
• Eliminate or reduce the amount of egg yolks in recipes. Make up the difference with more egg whites.
• Discard poultry skin and trim off the fat on meat and fish.
• Replace whole cream with lower fat or skim milk wherever possible.
• Read packaged food labels and avoid items high in saturated fat, cholesterol or utilizing hydrogenated oils (trans-fat) as an ingredient.
• Include more green vegetables, green, salads and fruit
• Desserts: eat less of the cakes and eat more fruits and nuts

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