Make healthier choices while watching the game
Ditch your favourite junk food in favour of fruit, veggie platters
Do you love being a couch potato during Super Bowl — but don’t want the after-game guilt of having eaten the wrong foods? It’s no secret many tend to indulge on elaborate eating sprees of favourite junk foods during this time — including chips, nachos, chicken wings and of course, beer and soda.
Here to help is raw food chef Heather Pace, author of Sweetly Raw Desserts, who offers the following six tips to healthy choices for the Super Bowl:
1. Ditch the chips
More than $140.2 million is spent on potato chips the week leading up to the Super Bowl (Nielsen, 2016). Cut down or simply cut out the deep fried chips, opting instead for fresh cucumber slices, carrot rounds, baked sweet potato chips, or kale chips.
2. Get creative with drinks
Instead of drinking sugary sodas, try adding chopped fruit like mango, strawberries and pineapple to a pitcher of water, along with a handful of fresh mint leaves. If craving something with bubbles, add sparkling water to the mix.
3. Make it yourself
According to the Calorie Control Council, Super Bowl partygoers can consume upward of 2,400 calories during the game. To avoid eating hidden calories, Pace recommends making your own snacks instead of buying prepared food.
4. Fibre is your friend
Incorporating more fibre-rich foods into your spread will keep guests nourished and satisfied. Create fresh platters with things like sliced watermelon, radishes, mini cucumbers, steamed asparagus, roasted sweet potato spears, bell pepper strips, carrot sticks and roasted green beans.
5. Downsize the dairy
Many of the popular dips served over game day can contain up to 150 calories per serving (2 tbsp). Forget the dairy-laden, calorie dense dips sold in stores and go for options like hummus, baba ghanouj (eggplant dip), guacamole, fresh salsa or cashew sour cream with herbs.
6. Satisfy your sweet tooth
Offer up a platter of fresh fruit including options like mango, apples, oranges, strawberries, grapes and pineapple for your party guests. You can make a simple dip by stirring together almond butter with maple syrup (to taste), adding just enough water for your desired consistency.