Super Bowl Snacks: Good, Bad & Ugly

Americans don't eat a meal on Super Bowl Sunday; they snack for 4-5 hours straight. If you're one of the millions who'll be watching the game (along with the pre- and post-game hoopla), remember that some snacks are healthier than others. So that you don't lie in bed Sunday night cursing your lack of willpower, try to select from the list of "better for you" (at least in general) snack choices on the left.

Chicken wings...............are better than...............................................................ribs
Tortilla chips (esp. baked).............................beat out.........................potato chips (esp. fried)
Black bean dip.................................has fewer calories than.........................guacamole
Mixed nuts..........................................are healthier than.................................pretzels
Beer....................................is better for you than..................................sugary soft-drinks
Grapes or oranges.................................trump all other............................sweet desserts

Go easy on the chicken wings, and please don't dip them in blue cheese sauce! Guacamole isn't something to avoid -- avocado is a healthy food -- but it does pack lots of calories. Nuts are high in calories too but they're nutritious, as opposed to pretzels, which are empty calories. Popcorn is another healthy and filling snack food -- just don't load it down with butter or lots of salt.

Craving Carbs

Here's a portion of an article reporting the results of a careful study of what people eat when they've skipped a meal or otherwise fasted. If you didn't already know that skipping breakfast (for instance) is a bad idea, this research provides more evidence to support that healthy-foodie "rule."
The study also reminds me of another healthy-foodie rule to live by, which is to snack smart.
To read the entire article, click here.

Craving Carbs on an Empty Stomach

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

A new study shows that people who sit down to eat after an overnight fast are more likely to ignore protein, fats and vegetables and head straight for high-calorie carbohydrates and starches first.

The study also revealed some telling details about food choices and the order in which we eat different kinds of foods. When given the opportunity to eat a salad and a plate of French fries, people who started with the starchy food downed significantly more calories per meal than those who did the reverse.

The findings have implications for people who regularly miss meals, whether because of hectic schedules or for the deliberate purpose of losing weight. Nationwide, about 15 percent of adults say they have fasted to slim down, and a number of popular diets encourage intermittent fasting.

"I think this emphasizes the importance of controlling your environment as far as the types of foods you're exposed to when you're hungry and how much of them you can get," said Aner Tal, a postdoctoral research associate in the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell and lead author of the study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine. "Because otherwise, you will mindlessly choose foods that are less healthy for you."

For regular dieters and people who frequently find themselves ravenous after missing meals, Dr. Tal said the lesson is to keep high-calorie foods out of reach, or at least make them less visible in the pantry or kitchen cabinets. 

More ideas for a healthy new year: Tip #8

Healthy Foodie Rule #8: SNACK SMART

I don't skip meals, and I don't skips snacks, either.

While not all nutritionists agree about the wisdom of snacking, I find it helps me keep from eating too much at mealtime.

The key, of course, is to choose your snacks wisely. Having healthful snacks at hand makes it far less likely you'll grab a coworker's cookies or hit the vending machines.

One snack strategy is to make up several days' worth of raw veggie and fruit snacks, put them in single serving zip-lock plastic bags and so that I can grab one when needed.

My baggies usually include slices of orange bell pepper, crispy-sweet sugar snap peas, and apple slices. In summer, I'll find a substitute fruit for the apples.

What else to snack?

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's peanut butter pretzels, the variety with "no salt on the pretzel." You still get salt in the PB itself, so you won't feel deprived of a salty snack. At the same time, you won't be overdoing the sodium.

In the evenings I want something sweet, so I might go for a few squares of dark chocolate -- a favorite "everyday" chocolate is Lindt's Intense Orange. Stopping at 3-4 squares can be a challenge, though, so don't go there if your tendency is to eat the whole bar.

Otherwise, I like the single serving puddings you can find in the dairy case--Kozy Shack rice pudding or chocolate pudding are both quite good. And no temptation to eat too much, since it's portion controlled.

Other recommended snacks -- choose the ones you like best -- include a container of low-fat or fat-free, no sugar added yogurt; a handful of no-salt-added nuts; a small bowl of cereal with skim milk; crackers with a smear of crunchy, natural peanut butter.

Smart snacking can help keep your blood sugar level, your energy on an even keel, and minimize the danger of falling off the healthy foodie wagon!