The rich and fatty food holiday season is upon us.

For those who don't want to give themselves over completely to bingeing on bad-but-tasty carbs and calories for the next six weeks, all is not lost.

Anti-aging guru Dr. Michael F. Roizen, one of the "You" doctors, has some tips to help people healthfully -- that's right, healthfully -- negotiate their way through to 2008.

"The average American puts on a pound and a half over the holidays -- from the day before Thanksgiving through New Years Day," says Dr. Roizen, whose latest book collaboration "YOU: Staying Young," (Free Press, $26) with Oprah-renowned America's Doctor, Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, is No. 1 on the New York Times' Hardcover Advice best-sellers list.

The book is a follow-up to the medical duo's previous No. 1 New York Times best sellers "YOU: On a Diet" and "YOU: The Owner's Manual." The "You" doctors also have a Discovery Health cable show, "YOU: Staying Young," and Dr. Roizen is a regular on Dr. Oz's XM radio show and also is a regular guest on "Oprah."

In advance of hitting the holiday feasting circuit, people prone to heartburn should prepare. Heartburn contributes to aging, he says, because stem cells in the body's bone marrow do everything from replace organs to repair heartburn.

"We don't want to use them up too fast," says Dr. Roizen, co-founder of www.RealAge.com and Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of the Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute. "If you cause them to regenerate too fast, that can lead to cancer, and you don't want to use them for things you don't need them for, like heartburn."

Keep heartburn in check with a preventative over-the-counter antacid you can take before eating or a heartburn medication that you can take at the onset of discomfort.

When socializing during the holidays, stay as far away from the buffet as possible to avoid overeating at parties.

"Always have one hand free and use one hand to shake hands and pat people on the back," Dr. Roizen says. "In the other hand, have either a drink or food."

Alternate whatever you're drinking -- whether it's wine or Scotch, beer or rum-laced eggnog -- with a glass of water with lime. That way, you'll get at least one glass of water for every drink you have.

"With food, try to put as many fruits and vegetables on the plate and as few pastries on the plate as possible," he says.

A third strategy is don't go to parties hungry.

"Have some soup or six walnuts or 12 almonds or 20 peanuts beforehand, because those things depress your appetite," he says.

At home, when he knows he's going to eat something he really shouldn't, he walks 10 minutes beforehand for each bad thing he's going to eat.

"If I'm going to have three pieces of candy, I will walk at least 30 minutes beforehand and do the same walking afterward," Dr. Roizen says.

He also recommends walking 30 minutes before dinner in general and, before the walk, having six walnuts. Then, after the walk, drink a glass of water before eating dinner.

Dr. Roizen's calendar age is 61, but his Real Age, based on his diet and exercise regimen, is 42.8. He suggests everyone visit www.RealAge.com, to calculate their real age.

"The joy of it is not calculating it but learning all those things you can do to make yourself younger," he says. "It's easier to get 8 to 12 years younger and feel it, flossing your teeth, having omega-3 fats or walnuts regularly, do things that protect yourself."

For more information about Dr. Roizen and the "YOU" books, visit www.RealAge.com.