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Your Favorite Holiday Foods: Healthy or Not Healthy?

A nutrition quiz about these traditional dishes

Aaron Kassraie,

Updated November 16, 2023

AARP

En español

Published October 29, 2021

/ Updated November 16, 2023

8 Questions

d972a344-3a7e-40bb-841e-58f65a31acf7

Your Favorite Holiday Foods: Healthy or Not Healthy?

[ {
 "question" : "Traditional green bean casserole\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Although green beans boast many health benefits, the casserole version tends to be loaded with butter, cheese, salt and fried onions.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Shrimp cocktail\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Shrimp cocktail is low in calories and high in protein. Just go easy on the sauce.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Cranberries\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Cranberries are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. However, some canned cranberry sauces have close to 50 percent of the daily value of sugar in one serving. Consider making your own cranberry sauce with less sugar or adding fruit to sweeten it.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Spinach and artichoke dip\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "On their own, spinach and artichokes are nutritious. But the high amounts of fat in mayonnaise, sour cream and cheese overpower the benefits.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Turkey, ham, and pork tenderloin\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Depending on how they are prepared, these lean meats are low in calories and packed with protein that will suppress your appetite and make you feel full.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Cheese and crackers\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Not only are cheese and crackers calorically dense, they are easy to load up on.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Pecan pie\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Nuts in moderation provide antioxidants and healthy fats. However, a serving of pecan pie is around 500 calories and full of additional fat and sugar.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
 "question" : "Colorful non-starchy vegetables\n",
 "answers" : [ {
 "answer" : "Healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : true
 }, {
 "answer" : "Not healthy",
 "correctAnswer" : false
 } ],
 "multiSelect" : false,
 "explanation" : "Half of your plate should be filled vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, carrots and cabbage. Eat just a taste of vegetables cooked with fats like lard, ham hocks or bacon, the CDC advises.\n",
 "hint" : "",
 "hintLink" : "",
 "questionImgCaption" : "",
 "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Your Favorite Holiday Foods: Healthy or Not Healthy?

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Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English. 

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