At a time when we are all feeling the economic crunch, it is too easy to turn to comfort foods as a way to make us feel better. But this short-term pleasure can have a long-term “cost” to our health. And comfort sugars and comfort fats often sneak their way into our stomachs from what we drink as well as from what we eat.

We tend to think of diet as involving food, but it also involves drinks. Especially around holiday time, where too many beverages may contain fattening creams. Since almost two thirds of all Americans are overweight, we can ill afford these indiscretions, which can easily turn into bad habits in the new year. Being overweight puts us at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and some cancers (colon and breast).  Excess sugar is stored by the body as fat, which is not very healthy.

We are too easily fooled by the holiday spirit into drinking things that are bad for us. Take Starbucks, for example, where the number one holiday drink, the peppermint mocha, at 16 oz. has 470 calories and 22 grams of fat (13 grams are saturated). By contrast, if you order the 12 ounce non-fat version without whipped cream, it is only 220 calories and 2 grams of fat (0 grams are saturated). This is a significant difference worth remembering when you reach the Starbucks counter.

The same caution must be taken with alcoholic beverages as with coffee beverages. Hot buttered rum is 418 calories with 17 grams of fat. Eggnog, even without the liquor, is 350 calories with a whopping 19 grams of fat.

By contrast, margaritas have 400 calories but no fat. Of course, the sugar itself is bad enough. Mojitos or martinis are better calorie choices with 180 calories, and most wines are even better yet, with 80-100 calories, and vodka with 70-80 calories (without the mix).

The problem is that few of us will have just one drink around holiday time, and the more drinks we have, the more the calories build up. Sparkling cider may be an alternative, at 140 calories per 8 ounce glass, and we may be less inclined to have more than one.

Dr. Siegel’s Best Tips:

• Be aware of what you are drinking and how the calories increase with each additional drink.
• Ask your bartender (not your doctor) what he is putting in the drink you ordered, and be at least vaguely aware of the calorie count (more difficult to do the more you drink).
• I am a fan of two fisted drinking, meaning alcohol in one hand, water or seltzer in the other. Glasses of water will help you slow down the number of drinks you have while keeping you well hydrated. Water is a much better choice than coffee, which like alcohol, is a diuretic and can dry you out and worsen your hangover.

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth about the Epidemic of Fear” and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic.” Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com

Carbohydrates (meaning “carbon plus water”) are the most efficient fuel for your body. They provide steady healthy energy. Along with fat and protein, carbohydrates are an essential nutrient. The two major forms of carbs are: simple sugars (simple carbohydrates), found in sugars such as fructose, glucose, and lactose, as well as in nutritious whole fruits; and starches (complex carbohydrates), found in foods such as starchy vegetables, grains, rice, and bread and cereals.

What makes carbs different from other essential nutrients (fat and protein) is that they are easily converted to energy by the body. Furthermore, the simplest carbohydrate, glucose, is essential fuel for the brain and muscles. When glucose is absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream, blood-glucose levels increase, and your pancreas begins to secrete insulin to help get that sugar out of the blood and to the brain and muscles. The problem occurs when too much glucose over-whelms the metabolism. In other words, if you regularly eat great amounts of foods with refined starches and sugars—the bad carbs—the pancreas makes too much insulin and the blood sugar drops too far, which, in turn, makes you feel hungry. Furthermore, muscle cells will stop taking in the glucose, and so more of this sugar will be stored as fat, which will result in weight gain.

GOOD CARB FOODS: Complex carbohydrates are the good carbs. Among good carbs are high-fiber, low-sugar fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole oatmeal and all other whole grains, and all types of beans (a Latin staple!). Sweet potatoes, brown rice, grapefruit, fat-free milk (organic and in moderation, please), whole grain pasta (also in moderation), and apples, like other good carbs, cause a gradual rise in blood-sugar levels, which is optimal for sustained energy, mental clarity and focus, and a balanced mood. Also, eating good carbs will help curb your cravings for bad carbs, which in turn can help you avoid chemical imbalances in the brain that can cause depression.

NOTE: I always recommend buying organic products, because they’re free of potentially harmful ingredients.