ShareThisThis time of year, everyone sings about chestnuts -- you know, roasting on an open fire -- but who really goes to all the trouble to crack them open and munch?
We're here to tell you that chestnuts are one of the healthiest snacks out there. Back off, almonds and walnuts. Take our quiz about the wonders of chestnuts.
1. According to the British Journal of Nutrition, which nut has lower levels of antioxidants than chestnuts?
a) pecans
b) walnuts
c) almonds
2. True or false? There are 20 times the grams of fat in almonds as in chestnuts.
3. Which has a lower level of potassium, per 100 grams, than chestnuts?
a) bananas
b) apples
c) apricots
4. In which play by Shakespeare did chestnuts play a role? To wit: "A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap/ And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd; 'Give me,' quoth I."
a) "Hamlet"
b) "Macbeth"
c) "The Merchant of Venice"
5. American Indians once used chestnuts for which medicinal purpose?
a) heart disease
b) coughs
c) intestinal worms
d) all of the above
6. True or false? Chestnuts have more vitamin C than a Red Delicious apple.
Answers: 1: c; 2: true; 3: b; 4: b; 5: d; 6: true (chestnuts, 26.7 mg; apple, 8 mg)
Sources: vegparadise.com; caloriecounter.com; British Journal of Nutrition
(Contact Sam McManis of the Sacramento Bee at smcmanis(at)sacbee.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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