5 Healthy Super Bowl Snacks
Will you root for the Patriots or the Giants on Super Bowl Sunday? Either way, game day goodies will be part of the lineup. Here are 5 healthy snacks that look and taste like the beloved originals, so your waistline will win, even if your team doesn't.
1. Better-for You Buffalo Wings
Traditional buffalo wings are deep-fried, drenched in a spicy butter-based sauce and served with blue cheese dressing. That adds up to 350 calories, 12 g of fat, and a whopping 1,160 mg sodium per serving. To trim that down, swap the wings for lower-fat chicken tenders. Marinate the tenders in nonfat buttermilk, dredge them in a combo of flour and cornmeal, and bake 'em. Trade full-fat sour cream for reduced-fat in the blue cheese dressing.
Save: 93 calories, 16 g fat, and 778 mg sodium
Serve these slimmed-down Boneless Buffalo Wings.
2. Pizza to Go
Boxes of delivery pizza are a convenient game-day standby. But watch those toppings and your choice of crust: One slice of Domino's deep-dish pepperoni pizza tips the scales at 366 calories, 16 g fat, and 668 mg sodium. And that's hardly the most indulgent pie around. Instead, order a thin-crust veggie option, which all nearly all the national pizza chains offer.
Save: 166 calories, 6.5 g fat, and 313 mg sodium
3. Chips and Dip
French onion dip and potato chips are classic football fare. But at nearly 300 calories, 23 g fat, and 580 mg sodium, they're not so nice for your hips -- or heart. Give them a makeover by using reduced-fat sour cream and ultra-creamy, fat-free Greek-yogurt. Also skip the pre-packaged onion soup mix -- it's a sodium bomb -- in favor of a flavorful combo of chopped onions, a little onion powder, and kosher salt. Go for baked tortilla chips, which are lower in calories, fat, and sodium than baked potato chips. Even better, serve that dip with fresh vegetable crudités.
Save: 99 calories, 16 g fat, and 260 mg sodium (with baked tortilla chips)
Related: Here's how eating yogurt helps fight belly fat.
4. Slimmed-Down Brownies
Mmm, brownies … a delicious way to celebrate your team's victory (or console yourself after their loss). But uber-indulgent brownies can top 400 calories and 25 g of fat each (and, really, who has just one?). Lighten the load by subbing unsweetened applesauce for most of the butter and oil in traditional recipes, and go easy on add-ins, like walnuts.
Save: up to 290 calories and 19 g fat, depending on the recipe
5. Diet-Friendly Beer
We know -- light beers don't have the alcohol (carbs, to you) of full-strength brew. But regular lager has 153 calories per 12-ounce bottle, which adds up fast when you're watching your weight. Go for a light brew instead. We like Budweiser Select 55, Miller Genuine Draft 64, and Beck's Premier Light.
Save: up to 102 calories per bottle, depending on the beer
Related: Here's how that beer can help build your bones.
Get more health tips from RealAge:
See how young you can be by taking the free RealAge Test now!
