What Do You Know About Holiday Sweets and Treats?

Palm oil has no cholesterol, but it's high in saturated fats. This kind of fat can raise your level of LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease.

Candy canes don't have any fat. The other choices most often have lots of fat, unless made with special recipes. Read food labels to compare.

Yes, some margarine has trans fats. These raise your blood cholesterol in the same way that saturated fats do. But margarine has no cholesterol itself. Butter is full of both cholesterol and saturated fat. Because of that, margarine is still better than butter. Use a tub margarine that has no trans fat. Make sure it has no more than 2 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. And it should list liquid vegetable oil as its first ingredient.

It's better to cut back on both. If possible, replace the butter with a margarine low in saturated and trans fat. Some margarines and non-sugar sweeteners are made specially for baking. These can lead to better results than others.

If the fruitcake has a Nutrition Facts Label, read it to see what's in it If you decide to indulge, take a small slice instead of a large one.

Using as little oil as possible when cooking will lower the fat and calories of latkes. If you want them the traditional way, then limit how many you eat.

A baked doughnut will have both less calories and fat than a fried doughnut of the same size. If you buy low-fat doughnuts from a store, make sure you check the Nutrition Facts Label. Low-fat doughnuts may have more sugar instead of the fat and the same amount of calories as a regular doughnut. If you stick with regular doughnuts or fritters, eat only one. Offer other healthy choices to your guests.

Many boozy drinks do have fat or sugar. Creamy cocktails like egg nog and Irish coffee have both. Fruity mixes have lots of sugar. And alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Sugar has 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram.