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.

It's better to cut back on both. If possible, replace the butter with a soft margarine low in saturated fat and has no trans fat. Keep in mind that some margarines used for baking will produce more acceptable results than others. You could also try other table sugar or butter substitutes. These include plain apple sauce, mashed bananas, plain Greek yogurt, and mashed avocado.

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 added 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.