02 Feb Surviving the Super Bowl- A Nutrition Guide
Super Bowl Success – A Nutrition Guide
The word Diet is a nasty word. For most people its translation means to do without or deprive. On the other hand, I follow a plan I like to call ‘lifestyle eating’, and it is just that; a way of eating you will have for the rest of your life. When you incorporate a balanced nutrition program into your lifestyle, you should feel satisfied, not have cravings, and no worries about falling off the proverbial wagon. For those of you new to eating the healthy lifestyle way, the number one way to stay on track when an over-indulgence situation presents itself, is to be PREPARED ahead of time…
Are you heading to a Super Bowl party this weekend?
Here is how you can be prepared so that you can have a great time this Sunday without sabotaging ALL the exercise and healthy food choices you made the previous week.
Snack Prior: Never go to any party or event without eating a meal or healthy snack right before you leave your house. If you go to a party on an empty stomach you will be jumping at every appetizer that passes by. A couple snack options are nuts, protein powder with water, turkey meat, or an apple and peanut butter. Nothing like a healthy mix of protein, low glycemic carbs, and fat to help keep you in control! By doing this, even if you DO reach for the high calorie food, you will be tempted to eat less.
Bring Something: The best way to assure that there are healthy choices at the party you are attending, is to BRING them yourself! A veggie tray with hummus or fresh salsa (skip the ranch, blue cheese, sour creams dips) is a great choice. Another great option is from my recipe book:
Hummus Eggs
12-Hard boil egg
1 tbsp hummus (store bought)
Cut eggs in half, remove yoke and discard, replace with ½ tbsp. each of hummus
Calories-52, fat-3.1g, carbs-2.2g, protein-4.6g, fiber- .5g
*serving is 2 halves
Nuts: Every great party HAS to have nuts… A serving size is approximately 10 nuts. They are a great choice UNLESS they are coated in sugar, chocolate, or some other type of processed batter. RAW, roasted, or lightly salted is ideal.
Chicken Wings to the rescue: Buffalo wings can be enjoyed as long as they are NOT battered or fried and skip the blue cheese or ranch dip. AVOID chili, nachos, hot dogs, chips, artichoke dip, desserts (fresh fruit is ALWAYS okay)
Salad is NOT automatically safe: You can’t go wrong with Salad, right? Wrong! Yes, you CAN!!! A salad CAN be a great choice, if it isn’t drenched in salad dressing, croutons and fatty cheeses. Eat LOTS of salad with 1-2 TBSP of balsamic vinaigrette, skip the cheese, croutons, and bacon bits if possible. ALWAYS avoid potato salad, macaroni salads ANY salad with a mayonnaise base.
Naked Burgers:If the BBQ is fired up, you can always have a hamburger, turkey burger or veggie burger! I prefer that you SKIP the bun but… if you MUST have a bun, only use ½ of the bun and leave it open faced cover with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mustard….. DON’T add cheese, ketchup, mayo
Pound the water! Drinking water while watching the game and snacking will minimize your cravings. You will feel fuller and will be less tempted to reach for extra food.
Moderation! Small portions of whatever you really want is FINE just make sure you balance it with other healthy foods and chose your favorites. Don’t just binge on everything. If you want pizza, don’t eat all the cookies too!
Alcohol: What is a Super Bowl party without alcohol? For some that may mean no fun… But here are some tips to help you make better decisions this Sunday. Avoid most mixed drinks as they typically have a lot of sugar and are usually mixed with sugary juices or soda. Also, watch those beers. Those calories add up quickly. INSTEAD, have a vodka and soda with a lime, a glass of wine (red is better for you than white) or even better a wine spritzer (½ wine + ½ club soda NOT 7-up or sprite).
If you make good choices on Sunday, you are guaranteed to feel better on Monday…no matter which team wins the game!
Natalie Jill Fitness
-Natalie Jill
Unprocess your diet and lose 5-7lbs the first week you start! Download the ORIGINAL 7 day jump start plan HERE.
Pick up my hard-copy book, Unprocess Your Diet, with 84 new recipes HERE.
