Enjoy Super Bowl snacks without the added guilt
BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT World Scene Writer
Thursday, January 31, 2013
1/31/13 at 3:52 AM
You'd have to run the length of 141 football fields to work off that handful of pita chips with artichoke dip on them.
And those four bacon-wrapped smokies at the Super Bowl party? You'll need to suit up for 156 minutes as a team mascot - we assume, suit up and actually be active.
All this according to Dr. Charles Platkin, a public health advocate and editor of DietDetective.com.
The Super Bowl is the second-biggest day for food consumption in the United States, with Thanksgiving being first, Platkin said in a recent release.
Whether you're pulling for the Ravens or the 49ers, or even if you're just going to watch for the cool commercials, many of you will be snacking during the Super Bowl. But that doesn't mean you have to go overboard, which might necessitate some exercise overtime on your part to burn it all off.
Just about everyone watching the big game will be snacking, said Suzanne Forsberg, a registered and licensed dietitian with St. John's Healthy Lifestyles program. "I think that's the fun part about it."
Among the more popular bowl-party staples are chips and dips, which are often laden with lots of fat.
If you're making a dip, use nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, Forsberg said.
"You're probably sick of writing about it, but it really works," she added.
Or use cottage cheese in a dip - just put it in a food processor with seasoned salt and garlic, said Lorrie Medford, a certified nutritionist and owner of Life Design Nutrition.
Although she's personally not a fan of low-fat chips, Forsberg reminded they are better for you. She does, however, like Popcorners chips, which are made from whole-grain popcorn.
You can also air-pop popcorn at home and, instead of melting butter all over it, spray a mixture of jalapeno juice and chili powder, she said. A client of hers suggested it, and it was awesome. You can also use watered down taco seasoning or garlic oil to spray.
Other folks prefer chili at their Super Bowl parties. When using beef, cut calories and fat by boiling it, Forsberg said.
Or use turkey or ground buffalo, then add tomatoes and beans, Medford suggested. Instead of topping with the full-fat shredded cheese, use fat-free.
For a healthy crunch, trade out tacos for lettuce wraps with your favorite meat and veggie combinations, Medford said. Don't forget fresh, homemade salsa, which is very healthy.
She recommended trying baked chicken strips instead of chicken wings. Dip in milk and bread crumbs, and season, then bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Use mustard to dip.
Beverages can be tricky, said Forsberg, who mentioned food psychologist Brian Wansink's "10-20 rule" from his book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think."
There are 10 calories per ounce in a thin drink, like a spritzer, cola, tea or lemonade. But it doubles to 20 calories per ounce for thicker drinks, like smoothies and margaritas.
So when you're filling up a 32-ounce cup of soda, you're downing 320 calories, Forsberg said. And that 12-ounce glass of frozen margarita is at least 140 calories.
Cut calories by opting for flavored sparkling water or sparkling water flavored with stevia or xylitol, Medford said.
If you really want alcohol, your best bet is a light beer or dry red wine, she said.
For dessert, try a fruit-type ice cream, or frozen bananas and strawberries, Medford said. You can put those in a food processor and flavor with liquid vanilla stevia. Turn them into popsicles or ice cube trays, or just serve like ice cream.
The snack Forsberg seemed most excited to talk to us about was a faux shrimp cocktail using cauliflower. It was the talk of a party once and was quite delicious.
Exercise equivalents
The "Big Game" has become much more than a football game - it's about the food.
If you choose the most splurge-worthy foods, here are the exercise equivalents for some snacks, courtesy of Dr. Charles Platkin, a public health advocate, editor of DietDetective.com and lecturer at the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College.
POOR MAN'S SHRIMP COCKTAIL
Serves 8
1 cup dry crab boil seasoning (such as Zatarain's or Old Bay)
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 yellow onions, quartered
6 garlic cloves
3 lemons, halved crosswise
2 1-pound heads of cauliflower, cored, trimmed into 2-inch florets
Cocktail sauce
1. Combine crab boil, salt, onions, garlic and 6 quarts water in a large pot. Squeeze juice from lemons into pot, and add lemon halves. Set pot over high heat, and bring liquid to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes to let flavors meld. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions, garlic and lemons from broth; discard. Return liquid to a rolling boil.
2. Add cauliflower; turn off heat, cover pot tightly, and let stand until cauliflower is crisp-tender, 5-10 minutes. Drain; spread out cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely. (Cauliflower can be made 1 day ahead. Just cover and refrigerate.)
3. Arrange room-temperature or chilled cauliflower on a platter with cocktail sauce for dipping.
Note: Crab boil seasoning is available at most supermarkets in the seafood or spice section and at specialty foods stores.
Three Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Beers = 211 minutes of coaching football
There are some high-calorie beers out there, and this is one of the highest.
Tip: Unless you love Sierra Nevada and realize the calories, your best bet is a regular beer or, even better, one of those micro-light beers. The best would be Beck's Premier Light at only 64 calories per 12-ounce bottle or MGD Light, also 64 calories. Michelob Ultra and Natural Light have 95, or you can go with Budweiser Select for 55. Sample a few light beers before the game to see which ones you prefer.
One sloppy Joe = 59 minutes of climbing the stadium stairs
This is a Tex-Mex creation that includes fatty ground beef, sugar, ketchup and even flour. Sloppy Joes have more than 500 calories with the bun (about 150 calories).
Tip: Use lean ground beef, and try a low-calorie sauce (without sugar). It will still taste great. Also, add veggies (onions, peppers, broccoli all chopped up) to the meat to lower overall calories and increase health benefits.
Tulsa World file
Four Dominos Stuffed Cheesy Bacon and Jalapeno breadsticks = 193 touchdown dances in the end zone
The stuffed cheese bread is probably tasty, but with all that fat it's also a calorie-killer at 160 calories per piece, or 640 calories for four.
Tip: Toast 100 percent whole-wheat pita bread with butter spray and Parmesan cheese.
Two slices of Dominos Bacon Cheeseburger Feast hand-tossed specialty pizza (16 inches) = 209 minutes performing in a marching band
Each slice is 490 calories.
Tip: Try thin-crust pizza. If you want to be super-healthy, try getting pizza without the cheese and add your own Parmesan.
CHRISTOPHER SMITH / Tulsa World
Handful of pita chips with artichoke dip = running 141 football fields
Each chip is 13 calories, plus just 1 tablespoon of dip is 80 calories.
Tip: Make your own 100 percent whole-wheat pita chips, and use salsa instead of the artichoke dip.
MARK HUMPHREY / Associated Press
Six traditional Buffalo Wild Wings dipped in ranch dressing = doing the wave 6,480 times
Six wings from Buffalo Wild Wings have 990 calories. Then, add about two servings of ranch dressing at 170 calories each for a total of 340 calories. That's 1,330 calories if you have only a small dip of dressing per wing.
Tip: You can certainly make your own chicken wings. Go skinless and bake instead of deep frying them.
Two handfuls of Cheetos Jumbo Puffs = 30 minutes of playing professional football
The only problem is that, according to The Wall Street Journal, there are only about 11 minutes of actual ball playing in a football game. That means you need to play almost three games of professional football to burn off two handfuls of Cheetos. Keep in mind, that's 320 calories for about 2 ounces.
Tip: Make your own popcorn. Sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese, and spray it with butter spray.
CHRISTOPHER SMITH / Tulsa World
One handful of trail mix = 49 touchdown dances in the end zone
Nuts and chocolate have about 160 calories per ounce, which is not bad if you don't take five handfuls before you've even noticed.
Tip: Try having only nuts. Nuts are healthy, but they're high in calories, so don't keep a huge bowl in front of you. And try to eat them one at a time, meaning don't shove an entire handful into your mouth all at once.
Outback Baby Back Ribs, full order = 123 minutes of team practice and conditioning
Ribs are fatty, and the sauce is sugary. For the record, Outback Baby Back ribs are 1,156 calories.
Tip: Try making them yourself, and trim all visible fat before and after cooking. Also, instead of coating your ribs with an excessive amount of sauce beforehand, partially cook them loaded with seasonings, brush them lightly with the sauce, and then finish cooking.
CHRISTOPHER SMITH / Tulsa World
Four bacon-wrapped smokies = 156 minutes being the team mascot
Popping just four of these in your mouth will cost you 156 minutes of jumping around and acting a bit foolish. The bacon alone (without the sausage and brown sugar) is more than 80 calories, for a total of more than 160 calories per appetizer. Four of them go down easy for 640 calories.
Tip: If you need to eat some type of bacon-wrapped hors d'oeuvres, go with Applegate Farms Organic Hickory Smoked Uncured Turkey Bacon. It's only 35 calories per slice. Hebrew National Beef Franks in a Blanket are 60 calories each.
Super Bowl
BALTIMORE VS. SAN FRANCISCO
at New Orleans
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday
TV: KOTV, channel 6
Radio: KYAL fm97.1 and KITO fm96.1
Original Print Headline: Super snacks
Jason Ashley Wright 918-581-8483
jason.wright@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
MATT SLOCUM / Associated Press
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