Here are healthy tips for surviving the game-day feast with your diet and waistline intact.
Super Bowl LI is less than two weeks away. Whether you’re staying in or having a Super Bowl party blowout, the centerpiece of the festivities is always the food. But game-day snacks carry an unfortunate reputation of being recklessly indulgent, which is not hard to believe on account of them usually being smothered in cheese, deep-fried, or wrapped in bacon. Though munching on a few of these hand-held delicacies won’t significantly impact your health, it may temporarily derail your diet and leave you with a nasty case of heart burn.
Dr. Adrienne Youdim, a specialist in medical weight loss and nutritional therapy, has some easy tips for staying healthy during the annual buffet of wings, chips, dips, and subs. After nearly a decade of serving as the medical director for the Weight Loss Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she used her passion and expertise to open the Center for Weight Loss and Nutrition at the Lasky Clinic in Beverly Hills.
Here are her healthy tips for surviving the game-day feast with your diet and waistline intact.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep deprivation causes hunger hormones to surge the next day, making it more difficult to control those cravings.
Eat Breakfast
Studies show that consuming at least 30 grams of protein at breakfast will suppress hunger hormones all day long and curb snacking in the afternoon. Before the festivities begin, grab a cup of Greek yogurt or whip up a plate of scrambled eggs.
Grab Some Greens
Youdim suggests making a shake using kale, ginger, lemon, apple, and a high-quality grass-fed whey protein. This will fill you up and there will be less room for the unhealthy snacks.
Bring Your Own Dip
“You can create a great tasting dip substituting non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayo,” Youdim notes. Brighten up the flavor by sprinkling fresh herbs and spices, and use fresh-cut veggies such as jicama, cucumbers, and bell pepper for dipping. The dip will be just as thick and rich as what everyone else is eating but with half the calories.
Make Your Own Chips
An eight-ounce bag of your average potato chips contains more than 1,200 calories. Save those calories for something tastier by swapping them out for homemade baked kale, beet, zucchini, or sweet potato chips.
Chew Peppermint Gum
“The taste of peppermint will make some of the other goodies [seem] off-putting and less tasty,” Youdim says. An added bonus is that chewing gum keeps your mouth distracted. Chewing gum is also a surprisingly effective way to boost energy and avoid midday fatigue.
