Today is Super Bowl Sunday and while the Colts and Bears charge toward each other in Miami, do you know what you will be eating? Do you have your own playbook for this day, the second-biggest food-consumption day after Thanksgiving?

An interesting article called “Defending Your Waistline on Super Bowl Sunday” gives you the Game Plan and also presents some startling statistics along the side (for example did you know Americans consume more than 11 million pounds of potato chips on Super Bowl Sunday?).

The article gives you tips on what to do before the kickoff (just eat like you would any other day so you are not starving by game time), and how to play defense (eat more of the low-calorie items) and offense (oven-fried boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of saucy, fried wings)!

You can also get some good tips from the “Eat This, Not That” department (my favorite type of tips since it involves substituting healthful foods for unhealthful ones, while still maintaining a high level of taste). For example, pizza without extra cheese, but with extra veggies instead, or pretzels and popcorn instead of fatty potato chips).

Here are some quick tips to prevent Super Bowl Sunday from throwing you off the healthful-diet wagon:

1. Salsa: It is a much healthier choice than fatty dips and the best part: it is all natural with loads of tomatoes an excellent source of lycopene, a potent antioxidant.
2. Triscuits: This is an excellent substitute for potato chips or tortilla chips and since it is a whole grain product you are getting your share of fiber while keeping your stomach full and preventing frequent cravings.
3. Water: As the article mentions keep lot’s of water lying around near the drinks and try to alternate sodas or beer with water.
4. Air-popped corn: Another oft-neglected source of whole grain (skip the butter, please!)
5. Veggie Platter: With a low-fat dip, keeping a colorful veggie-platter in plain sight will ensure you and your guests get your required servings right during the game!

What other strategies can you think of? What are you laying out on the table today?

Enjoy the big game!

Technorati Tags: health, nutrition, superbowl, super bowl, snacks, food

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You may have often heard “Hearty Breakfast, Moderate Lunch, Light Dinner” and if you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

When your day is just beginning and you have the most crucial hours of your 24 hour day ahead of you, it makes sense to fill up with a healthful breakfast, especially one that not only fills you up after your long fast while sleeping, but also provides you with your requirements of whole grains, dairy and vitamins/minerals. And don’t you go believing the naysayers.

With the day progressing and after your mid-morning snack, a moderate lunch followed by a late afternoon snack should satisfy most hunger cravings and keep a steady stream of nutrients supplied to your body while also maintaining a steady level of sugar in the bloodstream. This has the added benefit of also helping you feel full for a longer period of time.

Finally, a light dinner with a greater emphasis on proteins than carbohydrates or fats will prepare the body for the period of rest that follows when most muscle-building takes place (you don’t build muscles in the gym, you break them down there and rebuild most of them during sleep and rest periods) and fewer need for carbohydrates exists. A heavy intake of food when you need it the least has the most obvious and direct consequence: fat storage of the excess, unwanted calories.

“Distribute And Progressively Reduce Your Calorie Intake Throughout The Day”

This quick tip will help you manage your weight by not simply starving yourself of calories, which can have quite the opposite effect, but rather by intelligently redistributing them so you supply your body with the right quantity of fuel at the right times.

Technorati Tags: health, nutrition, calories, quick tips

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