Smarter Super Bowl XLII Snacking Strategies

Super Bowl Sunday ranks second only to Thanksgiving for food festivities. And while I’m into sports, I’m no fan of traditional game fare: chips and dips made from Cheez Whiz, greasy wings, pigs in a blanket, cheesy nachos, and seven-layer dip.

And since folks generally gather during the pre-game, Super Bowl parties can last six hours or so, meaning that spectators like me can easily wolf down more than 4,000 calories (about two day’s worth) at one party. Yikes!

Alas, there are ways to adapt many Super Bowl favorites to make them healthier and lower in calories. Here are a few ideas I’ll be serving up.

First Half

Healthy Chips: Choose chips with less than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, compared with 2 to 3 grams per serving in many full-fat chips. And look for those made with whole grains (such as brown rice, oats, whole-grain flour, or stone-ground corn). Corazonas Heart Healthy tortilla chips and Lundberg Rice Chips are two choices that have major crunch and flavor with less fat, plus the rice chips are gluten-free.

Skinny Guac: During the big game, Americans will consume nearly 50 million pounds of Hass avocados, enough to cover the University of Phoenix Stadium field 19 feet deep in avocados. This recipe from the California Avocado Commission is loaded with tomato and other veggies and contains less fat and fewer calories than traditional guac.

Black-Bean Dip: Black beans pack loads of antioxidants into each serving, and each half cup contains nearly a quarter of your daily fiber requirement. A healthy version of this dip is a snap to make. Just toss whole cooked black beans, chopped green onions, diced green and red bell peppers, chopped cilantro, a little olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and other spices into a bowl, mix together, and serve.

Six-Layer Dip: Fattening seven-layer dip normally calls for sour cream and beef. To trim it down I replace the sour cream with nonfat plain yogurt and cut out one layer entirely by subbing canned low-fat vegetarian refried beans for both the layer of beef and the regular refried beans. I also include shredded romaine lettuce, salsa, and the Skinny Guac listed above. This dish is so good for you that you can get away with a little low-fat shredded cheddar on top too.

Hummus: A favorite in my house is hummus, because it’s a great plant-based protein. At parties I serve it with fresh or grilled vegetable crudite and whole-grain crackers. I recommend Kellogg’s All-Bran Crackers Multi-Grain, Doctor Kracker, and Kashi TLC Crackers—they’re all either whole-grain-based or packed with fiber.

Half-Time

Whole-Wheat Pizza: Since I can’t be bothered with preparing a full-on meal during the Super Bowl, I make a couple pizzas using frozen whole-wheat pizza dough (you can get this from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). Pile it high with healthy toppings like mushrooms, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and fresh basil.

Second Half

Good-for-You Brownies: My secret weapon for this year’s game is No Pudge brand brownie mix. You combine the mix with yogurt instead of oil. I normally skip fat-free and low-fat baked goods, but these brownies always turn out moist and chocolately, not cardboardy.