Panic! You're going to be a guest someone else's Thanksgiving table, where food will be abundant and temptation looms large. You don't want to be rude and turn your nose up at a wonderful spread. How can you be true to your low-fat way of eating and still enjoy yourself at the holiday table? I have some tips to help.

• How to Enjoy a Low-Fat Thanksgiving Away From Home

Are you having dessert this Thanksgiving? Most of us are. But what should you choose: pumpkin pie or pecan pie? Obviously pie isn't a low-fat, low-calorie dessert, but one of these pies has a nutritional advantage over the other (click on the link and see). But if you're still looking for ways to eat a lower-fat Thanksgiving dessert, you could try a Crustless Pumpkin Pie (pictured), a Low-Fat Pumpkin Pie that uses phyllo dough for the crust, or a Pear-Cranberry Strudel.

If pie isn't your thing, try one of these seasonal alternatives:

• Poached Pears
• Baked Pears With Cranberries and Walnuts
• Baked Apples

_{Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Follow me on Twitter

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if the thought of all that holiday feasting leaves you worried about eating too much fat-laden food, I have some tips to help you enjoy Thanksgiving without expanding your waistline. Remember, many of the traditional foods served during Thanksgiving are perfectly healthy and highly nutritious. It's what we do to them that loads them with extra calories and fat. Find out more about how to enjoy a low fat Thanksgiving.

_{Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Follow me on Twitter

Here's a great seasonal pumpkin bread pudding that will fill your kitchen with a wonderful aroma. We like ours with raisins, but feel free to use dried cranberries. One of our favorite ways of eating this pudding is with a drizzle of good-quality maple syrup, which is why this dessert would also make a pretty good brunch dish.

_{Pumpkin Bread Pudding © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Follow me on Twitter

Chicken soup may be for the soul, but this ice cold pumpkin smoothie is for my sore throat. Instead of my usual coffee, I hankered after a cold drink that would slide down slowly yet easily and that would also pack a nutritional punch. Normally I'd throw a banana, some yogurt and some fresh or frozen berries in the blender, but as it's fall, I thought I'd make good use of my canned pumpkin, so here it is: a healthy, low fat pumpkin smoothie.

_{Pumpkin Smoothie Photo © 2009 Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Follow me on Twitter

Here's a very easy baked chicken dish that requires no added fat. There's plenty of flavor, thanks to the Middle-Eastern-style spices, which add a slight sweetness to the dish. Enjoy this low-fat Middle Eastern Chicken with some whole-grain couscous, rice, or even some creamy polenta.

_{Middle Eastern Chicken Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Follow me on Twitter

In general, soup ought to be a wonderful way to improve your nutrition, but many soups are high in fat and calories, and very high in sodium. While there are some good alternatives at the grocery store, you can make flavorful, healthy soups at home, without all the additives of the store-bought variety. Here are six delicious low-fat, low-calorie soups to get you started.

_{Broccoli Soup © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Enjoy a quick and easy seasonal dessert by stirring canned pumpkin purée, along with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, into some instant pudding and pie mix. I like to do this with butterscotch-flavored pudding, but vanilla pudding works just as well. Remember to use nonfat milk to keep this dessert low fat, and if you're looking to reduce the sugar content too, use a sugar-free pudding mix. Top this super-easy pumpkin pudding with a few pieces of candy corn or with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping (with two mini chocolate chip eyes to make a little ghost).

_{Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Follow me on Twitter

What's more frightening than the goblins and grim reapers that show up on your doorstep at Halloween? The fat and sugar content of all that candy. Now I don't want to be a party pooper here. I want to enjoy Halloween and enter into the spirit of things as much as the next person. And my kids would never forgive me if I declared a moratorium on all Halloween candy. But I do have some ideas for limiting the excess so that everyone can enjoy a happy and healthy Halloween. Now what's so scary about that?

_{Halloween Candy © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

Follow me on Twitter

Many of us are preoccupied with food, spending much of our day planning what we're going to eat, what we're not going to eat, coming up with strategies for avoiding temptation, giving in to temptation, feeling bad about it, resolving not to do it again, only to reach for yet another slice of pizza or piece of candy to assuage our guilt. And so it goes on.

If you recognize this pattern, then two books may be of interest. Find out more in Why We Overeat

_{Image Courtesy of Greenleaf Book Group Press}

Follow me on Twitter