ROCHESTER, N.Y.,  Nov. 27 -- It need not be the season to use sugar in large quantities, a U.S.endocrinologist says.    

There are ways to keep the holidays sweet but healthy suggests Dr. Nicholas Jospe of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.

"Sugar isn't necessarily bad -- it just has to be managed," Jospe says in a statement.

He suggests it is possible to resist the onslaught of sweet treats and make the holidays healthy.  In fact, some traditional holiday treats -- pumpkin and sweet potatoes for instance -- are fiber-filled and rich in anti-oxidants. Plus, a slice of pumpkin pie packs only a fraction of the sugar found in pecan pie or cheesecake.

Other ways to make the holidays sweet, but healthy are:

-- Revising recipes by making healthy substitutions -- such as applesauce for butter and adding "sweet" spices -- such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla -- in reduced-sugar recipes.

-- Learning to make healthy "trade offs." For example scaling back on rolls at dinner if craving a piece of pie.

-- Filling the house with sweet aromas and fulfilling creative urges by baking and frosting decorations such as fragrant ornaments or a gingerbread house that are displayed rather than devoured.

-- Shifting the focus from food to activities with friends and family such as caroling, sledding, skating, decorating and shopping. (UPI)