Healthy Alternatives For A ‘Lighter Bowl’ Festivities
Key Takeaways:
- Buffalo crispy veggie wings and blue cheese sauce can contribute massively to your calorie intake. To reduce it, opt for skinless, baked versions of wings with hot sauce.
- A foot-long sub stuffed with veggie balls, cheese, and marinara sauce can pack in a large amount of calories. A healthier alternative would be subs made with plant-based meatballs, low-fat mozzarella, and a whole grain bun.
- Mindful consumption of nuts can help control calorie intake. Reducing your portion to around 7-10 nuts is advised.
- Substitute traditional lager beer with light beer and high-calorie chips with popped or baked chips, accompanied by low-calorie dips made with nonfat yogurt or nonfat mayo, to cut down on calorie count.
- For snacks like ‘pigs in blankets’, use low-calorie plant-based sausage and fancy mustard. In case of deviled eggs, switch to low-fat mayo and hot condiments like mustard and hot sauce.
To exhaust the calorie content of 10 Buffalo crispy veggie wings, one would have to sprint the extent of almost 150 soccer fields, reveals a dietary specialist.
Buffalo wings symbolize a central dish for any sports-viewing gatherings, with suggestions that over 1.3 billion might be devoured this Sunday. The expert behind this projection is Charles Platkin, the eminent director of a prominent Food Policy Centre in New York City.
The day of the renowned sports extravaganza is second to only the Thanksgiving feast in terms of food consumption in the United States, signaling the potential for unnecessary calorie intake, states Platkin.
Below, Platkin elucidates the exercise equivalent of typical sporting event party eats, and gives a nudge towards healthier choices.
Super Bowl Delicacies and their Healthier Substitutes
10 Buffalo crispy veggie wings contain nearly 950 calories. Complement that with the 460 calories in a three ounces blue cheese dipping sauce and you’re looking at a total of about 1,400 calories, adds Platkin.
Playing the role of your own chef can aid in trimming some calories from the wings: Opt for skinless, baked versions of the wings coupled with hot sauce instead of the standard blue cheese sauce.
Those partial to a foot-long sub stuffed with veggie balls, cheese, and marinara sauce, beware. This indulgence can pack as much as 932 calories, warns Platkin. Burning off this delightful extravagance would require an intense and extended round of stadium stair climbing.
How about a healthier switch? Opt for subs made with plant-based meatballs, low-fat mozzarella, and a whole grain bun.
Little as one handful of mixed nuts can contribute 170 calories to your intake, requiring 44 minutes of strenuous exercise to offset. Consider reducing your portion to just around 7-10 nuts, advises Platkin.
Additional Calorie-Cutting Suggestions from Platkin
Consider light beer instead of the traditional lager beer which can have as much as 180 calories per 12 ounces serving.
Curbing that potato chip craving doesn’t have to be a total indulgence. Instead of high-calorie regular chips and dips, opt for popped or baked chips with a low-calorie dip made with nonfat yogurt or nonfat mayo.
For a slightly healthier rendition of the traditional five ‘pigs in blankets’ (330 calories) snack, try low-calorie plant-based sausage, dressing it up with fancy mustard.
Fancy deviled eggs? Use low-fat mayo and enjoy hard-boiled eggs with hot condiments like mustard and hot sauce.
A bowl of chili laden with plant-protein, beans, peppers, onions, and other veggies clocks in at 350 calories. Add a spoonful of sour cream or shredded cheese, and you’re adding an extra 150 calories. Consider switching to vegetarian chili and using nonfat sour cream and cheese for a healthier twist.
Even a small serving of four pita chips with guacamole can load on 152 calories. Try to avoid mindless snacking by keeping a big bowl of chips and guacamole out of arm’s reach, suggests Platkin.
Further Information
For more insights on healthier eating, the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shares tips for lighter meals and snacks.
