The festive dishes contain high levels of three major nutrients -- protein, fat and carbohydrates. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals, the research team suggested.

However, the holiday foods can be poisonous for those who suffer from high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, diabetes or arteriosclerosis, as the dishes tends to have higher sugar, fat and calories.

According to its findings, calories for a holiday meal commonly composed of beef-rib stew (531kcal), rice cake soup (440kcal), vegetable side dishes (297kcal), beef soup with white radish (266kcal), sautéed vegetables with potato noodles (191kcal), sweet rice drink (250kcal), a glass of rice wine (65kcal), pear (160kcal), apple (140kcal) and sweet persimmon (75kcal) would total 2515kcal, surpassing the recommended daily calorie intake for adults -- 2,500kcal for men and 2,000kcal for women.

The research team advised Koreans, particularly patients diagnosed with the aforementioned diseases, to be mindful of how many calories they consume during the holiday.

By Ock Hyun-ju, Intern reporter (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)