The Super Bowl is happening this Sunday and for many people that means it’s time for a Super Bowl party! When you think about what types of food are eaten during football games, you probably picture nachos, hotdogs, and chicken wings – not exactly the healthiest foods. In fact, CBS reports that 1.25 billion chicken wings will be eaten this Sunday. That’s a lot of buffalo sauce! There’s at least one healthy food that will also get its time in the spotlight: on Sunday there will be a 25% increase in the amount of carrots eaten.

As a dietitian, I like to tell people that there are no “good” or “bad” foods. Yes, some might be healthier than others, but there’s room in a healthy diet for most foods to be eaten in moderation. Sometimes people enjoy a certain type of food and don’t realize that there are easy ways to make a food healthier and still get a similar taste.

Here are a couple of ideas to make your half-time treats healthier:

• Pizza: instead of thick crust with sausage or pepperoni, try thin crust and pick vegetables as your topping.
• Buffalo wings: instead of fried chicken legs and wings slathered in butter and buffalo sauce, try a buffalo chicken wrap made with grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, and lettuce. It’s okay to enjoy a few wings, just remember to add more of the raw veggies to your plate that are often served alongside, such as carrot and celery sticks. If Nachos: instead of nachos heavy with greasy ground beef, cheese, and sour cream, try a layered bean dip with avocado, pureed black beans, lettuce, and tomato.
• Spinach and artichoke dip: instead of buying a pre-made dip that’s mostly cream and cheese, try making your own by using fresh or frozen spinach, canned artichokes, and low-fat cream cheese or plain Greek yogurt.

Whoever you’re routing for on Sunday, I hope that your game plan includes healthy and delicious food.

– Dietitian Katrina