"Don’t eat too fast!" our friends wrote on a box of fresh crab they dropped off at our house this week. Oh the holidays …

Our vacation started with the family’s "favorite Caesar salad and pizza" (Allegro’s in Carmel, Calif.). Food always tastes better with friends and family it seems.

We continued with a scrumptious buffet feast on Christmas day. I will spare the details but suffice it to say we got a lot of exercise carrying plates of food back to our table.

My sister and I were glad that our feast had "settled" by the time we went whale watching the next day. (Other travelers on our boat were not so fortunate.)

We learned a lot from our guide on this excursion. For example, gray whales eat continuously for a few months every year so they will accumulate extra fat to fuel their 7 months of migration. And, I was reminded, I am not a gray whale.

So, as we move from these holidays into the New Year, here is a partial list of health and nutrition applications — compiled by nutrition intern Monica Slingerland — that may help us maneuver into health in 2012:

Epicurious features more than 30,000 recipes from professional chefs, cookbooks, and magazines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet. Free application for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

Fooducate scans barcodes on food packages to provide detailed nutrition information. Free for iPhone and Android.

Good food Near You provides menus and nutrition information from restaurants and grocery stores in your vicinity. Free app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Lose it! Set your goals and track your food and exercise habits with this free application for iPhone and Android.

My Fitness Pal is a food and exercise diary and nutrition database to track your daily progress through the year. Free for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

Spark People. Provides a personalized diet and fitness plan and tracks your workouts. Includes healthy recipes and a calorie counter as well. Free application for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

Diabetes Log tracks your food intake, medication records and glucose readings. Free for iPhone and Android.

And no more Christmas cookies for breakfast … until next Christmas.