Root For a Healthy Tailgate This Football Season

Football’s typical association with wings, hot dogs, and beer doesn’t mean that’s ALL you can serve at your tailgate. Encourage healthier eats and lighten up the junky staples without sacrificing taste! Think outside the box, and your pants will thank you in a few months. Football players eat super healthy during the season to stay in tip top shape, so use that as extra motivation too. When all else fails, remember, all things in moderation!

• Make miniature munches. Serve pigs in a blanket (mini hot dogs = mini portions) or DIY with reduced fat dogs in whole grain buns.
• Dip it good! Swap traditional chips & dip for crudités & salsa. Made out of tomatoes, salsa is much lower in calories than traditional dips. So you don’t completely miss out on creaminess, make guacamole, containing heart-healthy fats from avocado, instead of artery-clogging saturated fats.
• Alternate every can of beer with a bottle of water! Alcohol is dehydrating so sipping water in between will keep you well-hydrated…especially while it’s still hot outside!
• Go veggie. New veggie burgers and sausages on the market are just as satisfying as meat versions. Try saving cals and fat by going veg! If you don’t like what’s out there, whip up your own batch of veggie burgers! Monday Night Football can now be #MeatlessMonday Night Football!
• Small healthy twists let you save big! Love wings? Try this boneless recipe from Eating Well. Prefer to indulge in queso dip & chips? Try this bean dip to satisfy your tex-mex cravings. Even eating your hot dog on a whole grain bun is a step in the right direction!
• Tailgate safely! The last thing you want in the middle of your game is a rumbling stomach, so be sure to fully cook meat on the grill. Don’t rush and then expose yourself to foodborne illnesses! Pack dairy, meat, and perishables on ice! Even better, pack raw meat in a separate cooler than produce or already cooked foods so there’s no cross contamination.
• Don’t let your team’s fate seal yours! A new study in Psychological Science found that when your team loses, so do you…nutritionally speaking. Fans viewed their team’s loss as an opportunity to pig out…especially when it was a close game or their team lost in an upset. In a Fitbie interview about this study, esteemed dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix said, “You’re not in control of who catches the ball, so don’t punish yourself by eating improperly.”

No matter what team you cheer for, football season is no reason to let your waistline expand! One last tip- don’t forget to eat breakfast in the morning! Attending the game extra hungry will make you ravenous and you’ll lose all sensible control. Pace yourself people!!!!

So in addition to a fun & safe holiday weekend, have a healthy tailgate too!