The American tradition for the upcoming holiday season: Overeat, and be sick more often than usual.

Samantha Hua

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Is that normal? Is it inevitable or preventable?

SanDiego.com asked two local health professionals for their tips on staying in tip-top health under the avalanche of sweets, parties with decadently delectable treats and drinks, the abundance that is Thanksgiving, the richness of Hanukkah and Christmas and the late night alcohol emphasis of New Year's Eve.

"My philosophy for health is holistic, meaning it's more than just the body but also the mind and spirit such as your emotions, stress level, relationships, work, and physical activity, all of which contributes to your overall well-being," says professional health counselor Samantha Hua. "The more balanced we are, the better our health."

Here are her Top Ten health tips for the holiday season (as well as all year round):

1. Increase leafy greens: Greens are superfoods full of vitamins and nutrients, and great for strengthening the immune system, improving circulation and purifying the blood.
2. Increase whole grains (reduce/eliminate simple, processed grains).
3. Get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
4. Drink more water: Most Americans are chronically dehydrated.
5. Get physical activity: Find physical activity you enjoy and do it regularly.
6. Get plenty of sleep, rest, relaxation. Rest and relaxation helps recharge our body. When we're run down and stressed, we're more likely to get sick and weaken our immune system.
7. Eat less meat, dairy, sugar and chemicalized, artificial junk foods, consume less caffeine and alcohol and avoid tobacco.
8. Find ways to nurture yourself: It can be 10 minutes of quiet time, a hike in nature, a bath, meditation, yoga, etc. The more we take care of our body, the better it'll treat us.

9. Have healthy relationships that supports you: Having supportive relationships comforts us and goes a long way in improving our health, especially if there's lots of laughter involved. Laughter really is the best medicine.

10. Eat more home-cooked meals and less processed food.

David Getoff

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David Getoff is a naturopath and board-certified clinical nutritionist. He's created his own version of the food pyramid.

"First, I'd recommend that people not consume the foods that greatly reduce the immune system's ability to do its job," says Getoff. "For example, it's been shown that as little as three to four tablespoons of sugar reduce the macrophage, or white cell activity, for four to six hours. So, if a person has a glass of orange juice they're reducing their immune system. If they have some rice or bread which the body quickly converts to sugar, they are reducing their immune system."

Mr. Getoff recommends a good multivitamin, along with 10,000 international units (IU), of Vitamin A and 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C two to three times per day.

He also counsels people to minimize starches and breads, and instead eat four to five servings of non-starchy vegetables, no-hormone, no-antibiotic meats (ideally free-range fed), raw nuts and seeds, whole grains and extra-virgin olive oil.

Finally, Getoff has strong feelings regarding vaccinations."I have never recommended any vaccination of any kind," he says. "And I do not expect that to change since none have ever been proven either safe or effective with legitimate double-blind research."