The crisp smell of fall is in the air, the leaves are beginning to change, and the new season of football (whether you’re an international or American football fan) is now gracing your television screen. We have a long season to lock in for, which is very exciting for sports fans everywhere. Coming together with our own ‘team’ on gameday is one of the best parts of this fall season that we get to look forward to. What we fuel our team with can make all the difference of whether you feel like a winner or not after you eat. And this doesn’t mean you have to totally change your game-day traditions, but just make some easy adjustments. We’ll show you some ways to make your game-day favorites a little healthier, how to manage your snacking, and give you some new ideas to try that might just have some of Nature’s Garden’s best like their dried fruit or artisanal nut options.
How Do you Manage Snacking and Eating on Game Day?
Game-days typically fall on the weekend, the much-needed opportunity to decompress for work and reunite with the people who matter most. They also tend to be the days that we do the most damage to our diets, intaking foods that have little nourishment, as we aren’t totally paying attention to what we’re snacking on. And not only that, but research has shown that in intense or losing situations emotional eating is a common coping method. According to Dr. Grace Tworek a health psychologist from the Cleveland Health Clinic, “when you feel stressed or upset, your body cranks up the production of a hormone called cortisol. This surge of cortisol naturally makes you crave sugary, fatty foods that deliver a soothing effect.” She continues to say, “It may not change the outcome, but it allows you to feel better or even serve as a distraction for a brief moment…Preparing yourself ahead of time no matter the outcome can make a big difference.” It all comes down to games, snack, management if you want to make it out of game day without a major L.
Helping to manage game day snacking.
A few tips to help manage snacking are:
- Prep healthy foods/snacks ahead of time so that you don’t default to junk.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Leave empty cups or bottles in front of you so you see how much you’ve consumed.
- Use smaller food containers.
- Eat from a smaller plate instead of directly out of the container or bag that your snack is in.
- Eat slowly and don’t rush through your snack or meal, so that your body and mind can sense when you’re full without overeating.
These aren’t the only ways to help manage your eating habits during the fan season, but they are definitely great places to start that will help create good snacking habits.
How Do you Make Your Favorite Game Day Foods, Healthier?
When it comes to game day, changing up from our go to recipes can feel like we’re rooting for the other team, but what if we told you that you don’t have to? You really only need to make some small adjustments, and it’ll make a world of difference for your final product and your body will love it.
Suggestions to make game day food healthier.
A few of the basic suggestions to take your recipes from bloat fest to GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) fest are these simple suggestions:
- Choose vegetable-based appetizers for lower calories and more nutrients, or substitute vegetables as frequently as possible. This could even be changing your mini sandwich wraps to lettuce wraps.
- Use fat-free or low-fat dairy products including milks, cheese, yogurts, etc. in place of the full-fat choices.
- Including whole grains and beans as applicable because they are heart-healthy sources of fiber. The fiber in beans helps to lower blood cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation as helps us feel comfortably full without overeating and not intaking as much portion-wise as other foods.
What are some New and Healthy Game Day Snack Ideas?
Some of the best advice on how to reinvent your game day snack habits comes from Dr. Grace Tworek as she says, “make it a learning experience. Take note of what hasn’t worked in the past versus what has worked well – and use this to inform future situations and develop a set of effective coping skills.” Overall, this is probably the best way to navigate, by perfecting what worked and dropping what didn’t. Some new snack ideas to try for the big game are:
- Veggie or Spinach Dip: Using low fat dairy products and real vegetables as dipping options.
- Fruit Kebabs: With a colorful mix of fruits to add minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants to the mix, these will be a smash hit.
- Bean Dip, Taco Dip, White Chili, and Turkey Meatballs: While all of these are a bit different, they still entail things like choice of using a lean protein like turkey, using low-fat dairy choices, and choosing fresh veggies as dipping tools, or to add some extra texture to the chili.
We all know that success really comes from practice and we’re happy to help you kick off the 2024 season with a bang. And when you run out of ideas head over to Nature’s Garden Trail Mixes or Dried Fruits for your next score!
