Tips and Tricks to Healthy Eating this Football Season
Football season is upon us! With the Fall season comes more family gatherings, fun tailgating recipes, and for some, an increase in alcohol consumption. While everything is okay in moderation, it’s extremely helpful to find healthy alternatives to American classics when trying to meet your fitness and lifestyle goals. So, what are some helpful tips and tricks to facilitate healthy eating this football season?
One major trick when trying to make a recipe more nutritious is to find a way to increase the amount of protein that the recipe has; adding protein to the dish will help increase feelings of satiety, build muscle, stabilize blood sugar levels, and so much more! By increasing satiety, it will help keep you fuller for longer which in turn will help to prevent overeating, a problem that can increase during football and tailgating season. Increasing the amount of protein in a particular recipe doesn't have to be confusing. Let’s look at a common recipe that many people love on football Sunday: buffalo chicken dip! While it does contain protein from the chicken, a trick to adding even more is to add cottage cheese or greek yogurt instead of the typical ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or cream cheese that is usually added; ranch, cream cheese, and blue cheese dressing are higher in fat and lower in protein. On the other hand, cottage cheese and greek yogurt are much lower in fat and higher in protein! With the other added ingredients such as cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and chicken, it is actually hard to tell the difference between standard buffalo chicken dip and the higher protein version. Don’t knock it till you try it!
Another tip to maintaining healthy eating during this football season is to try to add veggies wherever possible. Vegetables are high in both fiber and water content, but low in calories. This will allow you to volume eat and eat more per servings of the food, without consuming too many calories. The fiber from the vegetables is also great to help support your gastrointestinal health! Football and tailgating season typically brings along many chip and dip recipes. Using the buffalo chicken dip from the prior example, it is typically served with tortilla chips or whichever chip you prefer. In order to up the nutrition, try plating it with half chips and half veggies to dip with, such as carrots and celery. Again, this will help you to eat more servings while also incorporating important fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Lastly, one final tip for navigating healthy eating and drinking around football season is managing alcohol consumption. Beer is typically the drink of choice around this time, which is high in both calories and carbohydrates. If you choose to drink beer, try aiming for a lighter beer which is lower in calories. Many brands have also started creating low-carb versions of beer which is also a better option. As for hard alcohols, vodka and tequila are the lowest in carbohydrates and calories. When choosing something to mix with and also control calorie intake, try mixing with a club soda or a flavored seltzer and adding lemon or lime to boost the flavor.
Your fitness and nutritional journey doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying the things you would typically enjoy. When you stop engaging in your favorite things like enjoying football Sunday with friends and family or tailgating before a big game, it will create a negative connotation in your head about what health and wellness is about. Subtle changes can be made to your typical routine which would allow you to keep doing what you love while also maintaining your health. Remember, moderation is key!