Christmas Food - A Quick Quiz!
I was on BBC Radio Scotland this morning discussing Christmas food and I had a few questions on the topic for the presenters. Do you know the answers?
Q. How many Brussels sprouts are in a portion?
Q. What vegetable does not count as part of your five-a-day?
Q. How much sugar is there is a serving of cranberry sauce?
Q. What contains more sugar - a mince pie or a serving of Christmas cake?
Q. How many calories does the average person eat on Christmas day?
To listen to the interview on BBC Scotland here’s the link:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000ck3y
Listen from 2:50 (the last 10 minutes of the show) for the interview.
The answers to the questions and more details are provided below:
Q. How many Brussels sprouts are in a portion?
Answer: 6-8 Brussels sprouts (or 80g)
Brussels sprouts area a great source of vitamin C, folate and fibre. They are not enjoyed by everyone though. Some people are genetically over-sensitive to the bitter taste of sprouts. On average you have 25 types of bitter taste receptors on your tongue, but some people (aka ‘supertasters’) genetically have more. Too many Brussels sprouts can cause digestive upset for some people, so be careful not to over consume.
Q. What vegetable does not count as part of your 5-a-day?
Answer: Potatoes
Potatoes are a starchy food and generally used in place of other sources of starch (e.g. bread, pasta, rice) in a meal. Vegetables such as sweet potato, parsnips and turnip do count towards your 5-a-day as they are usually eaten in addition to the starchy part of a meal. However, potatoes are a good source of fibre, vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium. You can make your roast potatoes on Christmas day slightly healthier by cutting bigger potatoes for roasting and using rapeseed oil instead of goose fat. You should still get crispy roast potatoes with rapeseed oil!
Q. How much sugar is there is a serving of cranberry sauce?
Answer: About 8g of sugar in a tablespoon (20g)
Cranberries are naturally very tart in flavour, so often a lot of sugar is added to make them more palatable. A portion of cranberry sauce is around a quarter of the recommend daily maximum of added sugars. Cranberries are a great source of vitamin C and beneficial antioxidants though, but enjoy in moderation.
Q. What contains more sugar - a mince pie or a serving of Christmas cake?
Answer: Christmas cake
Christmas cake has almost twice the amount of sugar as a mince pie. A portion of Christmas cake (70g slice) has 41.2g of sugar and a mince pie (60g) has 21.3g of sugar. Christmas cake is slightly lower in fat compared to a mince pie (6.7g compared to 8.9g). Pasty, which is high in fat, usually makes up more than half the ingredients in a mince pie. A healthier option would be to choose a mince pie with a lattice topping or one made with filo pastry. You could also have a mini (or bite sized) mince pie instead of a standard sized pie.
Q. How many calories does the average person eat on Christmas day?
Answer: almost 6000 calories
According to a survey of 2000 British people the average Brit consumes almost 6000 calories on Christmas day. The daily recommended intake is 2000 calories for women and 2500 for men so this is 3 times the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman and over twice the recommended daily calorie intake for a man. However, Christmas is just one day of the 365 days of in a year, so over-indulging a little on one day is fine.
Dr Laura Wyness is an award winning Registered Nutritionist specialising in evidence-based nutrition writing, workplace wellness and online nutrition consultations. Contact Laura for any enquiries: nutrition@laurawyness.com
Enjoy your Christmas!
