Don’t even think of picking up that cocktail wiener. Say no-no-no to three-cheese dip, and frown upon all things fried.

It takes a food snob to avoid a food hangover, and with all the holiday fixings popping up in so many places— homes, parties, malls—there is the temptation to overindulge.

“People use the holidays as an excuse to let the common sense and usual restraint go to the wind,” said Michelle May, author of “Eat What

You Love. Love What You Eat.” “There’s no need to bother with store-bought items, things that are less than fabulous, because there will be something wonderful a little bit further down the buffet. If you don’t love cranberry sauce shaped like a can, skip it.”

According to most studies on the subject — including one conducted by the National Institutes of

Health, the average person gains 1 to 2 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Among individuals who were overweight or obese, weight gain was greater—about 5 pounds.

The first step? Identify all the situations (office parties, mall food courts, huge bashes) that will test your resolve to eating healthy this holiday season. Then eat, drink and choose wisely.

Change is good

Changing the way you eat occurs in stages, said Kristine Noonan, certified holistic health counselor and registered nurse. A lot has to do with controlling your cravings for ice cream, chocolate, cookies—precisely the type of foods that define the holidays.

“The problem is physiological, not psychological,” said Noonan, who operates Honor and Hope Wellness Center in Hamburg. “All of us have had cravings, where certain things seem irresistible, but if you gradually add nutrient-dense delicious food to your diet, your cravings will change.”

This Christmas, Kelly Marshall of West Seneca is not worried about holiday weight gain because, at age 33, she has discovered a new way to eat.

“Changing my diet has been a process,” said Marshall, who frequents the wellness center. “You don’t have to change everything at once. You can change one thing, eliminate one thing and then evolve. Taking small steps, and then one day if you decide to eat chicken wings, no one is going to get you. It’s OK.”

The first foods Marshall crossed off her shopping list were those containing high-fructose corn syrup. And instead of sugar she uses Agave Nectar, a low-glycemic sweetener made from the same plant as tequila. This year, Marshall’s Christmas cookies contain dates, cashews, cacao powder, vanilla and cinnamon.

“They stay with you,” she said, “and you don’t get that fullness, that heaviness. Before I would stare at the other food and feel deprived. Now I’ve got this good stuff that sticks with me and I’m satisfied.”

A staple dish on the holiday table of Joyce Markiewicz is cucumbers and sour cream. This year, the Hamburg wife and mother plans to use fresh dill and organic sour cream.

“I was having a milestone birthday and my mother had passed away about a year prior,” said Markiewicz, 50, a regular at the wellness center. “She had had dementia and diabetes. I started thinking of how I wanted my second half of life to be healthier.”

Noonan also suggested taking a cue from Indian culture. Add spice to your diet, she said, and leave your taste buds satiated by offering sweet, sour, bitter and salty in one sitting. Too much salt or sugar light up the craving centers in your brain and leave you wanting more to eat.

Switching to healthier foods may cost more at the grocery store, but it will pay off.

“I struggled a lot on this,” said Marshall. “I figure it’s a lot cheaper in the long run to pay the money for good food. I don’t eat out as much.

“So go to that holiday party,” Marshall suggested. “Feel great. Make good choices, and you’ll wake up the next morning and feel refreshed. Sit around the table. Your pants will still fit.”

At the mall

This is not a conspiracy. There is no Cinnabon employee with a fan wafting that unmistakable smell directly to your nostrils. High-calorie snacks — Cinnabon has 730—may spike your blood sugar, leaving you energy depleted and more hungry after you eat them.

“A better choice may be those soft pretzels, because they’re relatively large, so you feel like you’re indulging,” suggested Bethany Gumper, senior editor for “Fitness,” during a telephone interview.

At 340 calories and five fat grams, Auntie Anne’s Original Pretzel is not a bad snack, especially if you skip the salt. Thin crust pizza may not a bad bet either, according to Gumper.

“Pizza can be dangerous, especially in the food court, where portions tend to be gigantic,” advised Gumper. “If you must have some pie, take a friend and treat him.”

If you’re lucky enough that your food court contains a sushi bar, rejoice and opt for a vegetable sushi roll or a California Roll. The key is to hold the mayo and skip the frying. Fried foods are digested more slowly, causing you to feel heavy and bloated.

Let’s say that in the middle of shopping, you’re feeling logy and looking for a pick-me-up. Grab a small skim latte, Gumper said, and opt for sugar-free flavored syrup, which saves 60 calories per pump.

“Unfortunately, festive holiday drinks like the peppermint mochas and egg-nog lattes can be really high in calories,” she explained, “some of them more than 700 calories, especially if you get the whipped cream.”

While you’re at the coffee shop, biscotti can be a wise treat if consumed occasionally. Be aware the relatively low caloric level (140) brings with it a low nutritional value. Banana bread, on the other hand, may appear to be a healthy choice, but it can pack as much as 500 calories.

To be safe, shop with the early birds, just as the mall walkers are winding down and before the food court smells can get your stomach churning.

“When you go shopping early in the morning, the smells of sweet and sour chicken or cheese pizza aren’t as appetizing,” said Gumper.

Party hopping

To avoid stuffing yourself, learn to recognize when your desire to eat is head hunger, said author May, who is also a family physician.

“There are a lot of environmental and emotional issues that cue us to eat,” May said during a telephone interview from her home office in Phoenix. “Sometimes the desire to eat Christmas cookies is not so much about the sugar, it’s the craving for that simpler, happy time we remember from our childhood.”

Think of food as one component to a holiday party, in addition to the conversation, music, decor, attire. Divide your attention equally among all, and above all, socialize away from the buffet table.

“We have a tendency to eat mindlessly, so we eat quickly,” May said. “We eat while we’re distracted. We become more focused on quantity rather than quality, so we tend to consume more food than we need and not enjoy it as much as we say we do.”

Enjoy yourself

At your next party, try some of these tips, suggests May:

Don’t spoil eating with a dose of guilt. “If there’s any part of you that will sprinkle a little guilt on top, it will affect the enjoyment of your meal, and sometimes it will subconsciously result in overeating because your mind is preparing for deprivation or punishment,” said May.

Make it a 3-D meal, a multisensory experience. Take in the sights, decorations, table settings, the arrangement and appearance of the food.

When you’re ready to eat, choose the food you want to most taste first. “Oftentimes people will want to save the best for last, or they’ll eat their vegetables first, but your taste buds are absolutely the most sensitive at the beginning when you’re hungry,” May said.

Focus every brain cell on food. Once the flavors completely leave your mouth—and it does take a while — pick up your fork and do it again! Do not rush through the meal. Do not talk with your mouth full.