Will you be tuning in to watch the Super Bowl [1]? If so, you'll want to avoid racking up too many (nutrition) penalties from typical football foods [2] like chips and dip, wings, pizza, and beer. These football faves can easily pile on more than 2,500 calories — more than you need in an entire day! — and leave you feeling like a 300-pound NFL lineman.
Below are eight of my favorite Super Bowl bites that will be part of my game-day menu:
- Fresh veggies: I always serve a large tray of veggies with healthy dips during the game to help fill me up, not out. Most veggies have fewer than 50 calories a cup compared to 150 calories in regular potato chips. Baby carrots, celery, cherry or grape tomatoes, broccoli, jicama, and bell peppers are some of my faves.
- Better chips: It's not game day without crunchy nibbles, so I buy better munchies that have fiber and protein. To shave about 30 calories per ounce (15-20 chips), opt for baked instead of fried. For a tortilla chip, I like lentil- or bean-based options or Lundberg Multigrain chips because they provide some fiber and protein compared to other chips; for pita chips, look for one made with whole grains.
- Skinny dips: Most cheese- or sour-cream-based dips will blow your calorie budget and pile on a lot of unhealthy saturated fat. I serve black bean dip and hummus, which provide protein and fiber and keep saturated fat low. For example, Sabra Classic Hummus has just 35 calories and less than a gram of saturated fat per tablespoon compared to nearly two grams of saturated fat in a tablespoon of regular sour cream. I also use hummus for a stand-in for mayo on sandwiches and when making deviled eggs.
- Guacamole: A tablespoon of guacamole has about 30 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, most of which is beneficial monounsaturated fats.
- Buffalo-style "wings": Since the average fried wing with ranch or blue cheese dressing will set you back about 125 calories, I save hundreds of calories by making grilled or broiled "buffalo-chicken strips" by coating strips of boneless skinless chicken breast in a hot buffalo sauce then baking or grilling the chicken.
- Salad pizza: It won't be game day without pizza, but did you know that just two slices from some delivery chains set you back nearly 600 calories? I make my own lighter pizzas with a store-bought whole-wheat crust that I bake with fresh mozzarella, red onion, and olives. Once baked, I top it with a fresh arugula salad [4].
- All-star sips: One thing I try to live by is limiting liquid calories, because research shows that you don't compensate for beverage calories by eating less food. Since alcohol stimulates appetite, I try to steer clear. Come game day, I'll be drinking fruit-infused sparkling water.
- One-bite desserts: For a sweet finisher, I look for dark-chocolate-covered almonds and one-bite brownies and cookies. Not necessarily guilt-free, but better than many typical choices.
Game on!