A healthy game plan for Super Bowl Sunday

So for my super bowl party I was requested to make cake balls. I finished making little cake (foot)balls last night. The white decorative icing is being annoying and taking forever to harden/dry though so they are still sitting on my counter drying out so they don't smudge. Hurry up!! I'm not going to post on how to make them because you can refer back to my cake pop post a month ago. Instead of putting these footballs on sticks I dunked them in the candy coating and used a fork to lift them out, shake off excess chocolate coating and lay on tin foil/wax paper to dry. Tedious, not hard.

Instead I have decided to post on some HEALTHY ways to keep your munching at bay today. According to the Calorie Control Council and the Snack Food Association, Americans eat 30 million pounds of snacks on Super Bowl Sunday. That's 11.2 million potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn, and 2.5 million pounds of nuts. And this doesn't include the grub that's prepared at home or ordered in!


Tip #1: Do not eat cake balls.

A healthy game plan for Super Bowl Sunday

Alcohol

While alcohol is fat-free and low in carbs, it's important to remember that it's the calories that count when it comes to weight management. As you know,alcohol and dieting don’t mix well—your body processes alcohol first, leaving carbohydrates and fats to get stored as fat instead of getting used as fuel. Even if you are careful about your alcohol consumption, all drinks are not created equal on the dieting scale and some choices are better than others. Here are some charts to help make yourself accountable.

Carbs

Chips, buns, rolls, cakes, and carbs are using abound (not to mention the beer). Keep this category at bay. Mindless munching on these treats can rack up calories quickly. If you want the guac dunk baby carrots instead. Opt for lighter or air popped version of chips and try to avoid the nacho cheese...that stuff isn't even real.

Proteins

Go ahead and indulge in some of that BBQ--it's part of the ambiance after all. But make wise choices when you do it. Ask for a protein-style burger (no bun) sans cheese. Eat a hot dog without the bun, better yet bring your own turkey dogs and load it up with condiments for extra flavor. Chicken and wings? Make sure they are not covered in a beer-batter or fried--those go straight to your waist line.

How to eat

You have heard all of these tips before. But it's time to put them into action. Make to eat throughout the day so that you don't arrive at your gathering ravenous for all of the goodies. Portion control is always key. Choose your fats wisely--avocado is fine, load up with salsa (lots of lean tomatoes!) with each bite too! Avoid the greasy and fried. Avoid the sugars. If you need some dunking action, use raw veggies. Beware of alcohol in general--alternative every sip with some water. And most of all just stay away from the food table. Distance makes it harder.

And have fun!

If you need some last minute health recipe ideas click HERE!