Let's face it, completely maintaining a guilt free diet is like climbing Everest--next to impossible. Smart holiday dining relies on two factors: eating in moderation and making good choices. Anyone can cut back on second, third, and forth helpings, but can you make the diet-wise decision between pumpkin pie or apple? Here's some assistance to help you choose. Here, we weigh the classic, holiday fare to help you (and your diet) make it through the season virtually unscathed.

Appetizers
Shrimp Cocktail or Pigs-in-a-Blanket
Although both seem like handy pre-dinner apps, one of these starters can severely sabotage your diet. Six boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce will run you 287 calories and 1.4g of fat on average. The crispy, warm alternative, however, will cost you 470 calories and 29g of fat (9g saturated). You may be looking for something warm, but if you're trying to preserve your diet during the holidays, pigs-in-a-blanket are not for you.
The smarter choice: Shrimp Cocktail

Meats
Turkey, Prime Rib, or Glazed Ham
Unless your family is comprised only of vegetarians, you are likely to encounter one, if not all, of these meats. So what do you choose when confronted with these three choices? Refer to the statistics. A serving (3 ounces) of roasted turkey with skin will average you 180 calories, 8g of fat (2g saturated), and 24g of protein. Prime rib, though coveted throughout the holiday season, comes from one of the fattiest parts of the cow. A serving will cost you 750 calories and 45g of fat--and that's without the Au Jus. Finally we come to the glazed ham. On average a serving of glazed ham will run you 160 calories and 11g of fat, and 13g of protein. Although a serving of roasted turkey is a little higher than ham in calories, it wins in grams of fat and protein.
The smarter choice: Roasted turkey

Sides
Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potato Casserole
For those of you watching your carb intake or for those choosing low glycemic foods, this may be a tough decision. Any potato, despite the species, is going to cost you in terms of grams of carbohydrates. Traditionally, sweet potatoes are more desirable because of being on low on the glycemic scale. However, garlic mashed potatoes weigh in at 220 calories and 12g of fat per serving, while sweet potato casserole--with its marshmallow-y topping--averages 460 calories, 17g of fat, and 39g of sugar.
The smarter choice: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing or Green Bean Casserole
One is a vegetable and one is a starch. One has seven grams of fat and the other has one gram. Both are low in calories--stuffing at 110 per serving and green bean casserole at 130. This decision is between what you are willing to give up, carbohydrates or fat? Stuffing is made from bread and green bean casseroles are traditionally coated in cream of mushroom soup which will add to your grams of fat. This decision is completely yours.
The smarter choice: Toss-up.

Dessert
Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, or Pecan Pie
It is beyond the scope of this article to account for all of the pie options the holiday season has to offer. Sticking to the famous three is hard enough. Sure, we all have our own opinions when it comes to pie preferences. But which is easier on your diet? Is there a guilt-free choice? Apple pie, while considered by many to be the classic American dessert, isn't as guiltless as its fruity name implies. At 277 calories, 12.9g of fat, and 18.3g of sugar per slice, apple pie falls short when trying to maintain a diet. Pumpkin pie, though not much better than the apple variety, isn't quite as bad as you would think. This tasty pastry accounts for 229 calories, 10.4g of fat, and 15.1g of sugar. Finally, we get to the infamous pecan pie. Considered one of the worst desserts a person can eat, pecan pie clocks in at a whopping 452 calories, 20.9g of fat, and 31.9g of sugar.
The smarter choice: Pumpkin pie