Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

We can hear the heckling now.

We know the Super Bowl comes once a year, and though nutrition-obsessed we also know that your "play" on any one day doesn't really change your health or weight. Yet, for sports fans every day is game day and socializing can include enough sports food and sports drinks that – suddenly – your "season" is ruined and you're wondering where your health game plan failed you. As you read this, look down: If you see a football where that sixpack could be, we're talking to you!

So eat strategically this Super Bowl. We're here to help, by highlighting five common Super Bowl food fumbles, and how you can turn them into MVP plays.

The rules of our game go something like this.

• Replace meaty with veggie when you can.
• Condiments can kill. Watch creamy dips and cheese.
• Drink responsibly and not just when it comes to driving. Have a budget and stick to it.
• And finally, eat at halftime. The problem is that people can munch their way through the entire, long game. Specify your eating time and focus on the game.

We have to start with the beer. We conducted a highly scientific study, which involved polling a group of twenty-something guys and asked, "What are the beverages we should look into for a Superbowl story?" We came back with a one-item list:

• BEER.

Food Fumble: If you consume six regular bottles of beer you have ingested 900 calories before eating a thing. To burn this beer off you'd have to play (not watch) 90 minutes of football.

Food MVP: Go for light beer and stick to one per quarter, or four per game. You'll be at 400 calories, half the "fumble" scenario.

Pizza figured prominently in the sports' menus for the subjects (Foodtrainers' spouses/boyfriends) we interviewed.

Food Fumble: We love pepperoni too but it's a nutritional interception. One slice of pepperoni pizza approaches 400 calories. How many football fans have just one piece?

Food MVP: Instead go for a veggie topping of thin crust pizza (150 calories). Opt for whole-wheat crust for an "extra point."

While you may be somewhat aware of your meal foods, you can't sit through a Super Bowl (or even watch Super Bowl commercials) without talking snacks.

Food Fumble: One large handful Chex Mix or other snack mixes packs 390 calories. We were shocked a cereal-based mix could be so caloric until we saw the recipes calling for a pound of butter!

Food MVP: Pistachios or peanuts in their shell. We love these "activity" snacks as the shelling naturally slows you down. They contain good fats and stress-reducing crunch. One handful or ounce: 170 calories.

When we say bucket you think... wings! And if you think of wings for your Super Bowl menu, we say... Think again.

Food Fumble: Two (yes, just two) wings with blue cheese dip 700 calories.

Food MVP: If you must wing, ditch the dip or serve grilled Buffalo-flavored chicken breasts. That's a relatively tiny 150 calories per five-ounce serving.

A lot of tailgate food revolves around condiments: The cheese, the sauce, and the dips. No food incorporates more of these than 7-layer dip.

Food Fumble: The 7-layer dip has 7 layers of refried beans and cheese and 400-500 calories per cup.

Food MVP: Although salsa has almost no calories we're not suggesting anything this drastic. Simply replace 7-layer dip with good ol' guacamole and you'll slash your calories in half.