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Holidays are a great excuse for blowing your strict diet and indulging your mouth. Why else bother with a healthy New Year's resolutions? However, the truth is, most of us prefer the taste of French fries and peanut butter over oat bran. While a nice piece of fruit is no punishment, chocolate is exceedingly more tempting. The good news is: not all of those seemingly unhealthy choices actually are.

Cheese fries may never be part of your recommended diet, but Russet potatoes alone are not to be feared. In fact, they are full of disease-fighting antioxidants. Eating the whole box of chocolates still isn't a good idea. However, a square a day may help prevent cancer and stave-off weight gain.

We wouldn’t be surprised if you're confused by this change of heart! No wonder dieticians say people tend to see healthy choices as too much trouble.

According to Elisa Zied - author of “So What Can I Eat?!” and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association - people are frustrated by the conflicting research studies and news reports about what can harm or benefit them. Typically, they just want practical advice on what to eat.

They're also unknowingly making bad choices. Most people know that soda and candy contain a lot of sugar. But they don't always realize that low-fat flavored yoghurt, salad dressing and Chinese food (think chicken with broccoli), can too.

“Because of the new obsession with lowering our intake of Trans-fats, which food labels now list, some people are consuming more saturated fats. People also get in the habit of having larger portions because they want to get good value for their money", she says.

According to Jennifer Nelson - director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester - another way we can start to change is by asking restaurants for more healthy options and smaller portion sizes. Define value by the quality of your food, not its "Super Size."

Unfortunately, there is no cure at all when it comes to waking-up and taking control of your health. People need to view food as a source of both sustenance and enjoyable experiences. Once you incorporate these tips into your eating habits, try tackling more challenging ones.