Our Healthy Tailgating Tips!

our Tips for a Healthy Tailgate Party!

It’s finally fall, and with the fall season comes college and professional football games! 

Getting together with friends is great: the companionship, the competition, and of course the celebratory food and drink.  Here are a few tips to help you navigate fall parties as a host or guest—remember it’s progress, not perfection, and even a tailgate can fit into your dietary plan when you follow the 90/10 rule.

When cooking for a crowd, try chili: choose extra lean beef or turkey as your protein, and add beans for extra fiber. 

If using canned beans, rinse them to reduce the sodium. 

Add lower-fat shredded cheese and fat-free sour cream as a garnish. 

Bonus: the chili can be made ahead and kept warm in a crock pot so you can enjoy your guests and the game too.

Dips can be made using fat-free plain yogurt or fat-free sour cream instead of the full-fat versions. 

Use fresh vegetables or baked chips as dippers.

Consider making your own baked tortilla chips.

Make a BAS (big ass salad) with lots of leafy greens and serve a large platter of garnishes on the side. 

Garnishes can include grilled vegetables; cooked lentils; whole kernel sweet corn; fresh veggies like radishes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and bell pepper strips.

Popcorn is also a good side.

For dessert, consider brownies, which can be made a little healthier with a few changes.

Instead of from-scratch brownies, reduce the sugar by a third, and replace half of the regular flour with whole wheat flour. 

You can also replace the oil with unsweetened applesauce. 

You can also doctor boxed mixes with easily searched recipes online (look for black bean brownies, in particular).

Be sure to pay attention to the temperature of foods and how long they’ve been out; you don’t want you or your guests to get a foodborne illness. Additionally, providing utensils for every dish reduces the risk of bacteria spread by unclean hands.

Lastly, try to get a little activity in during commercial breaks and halftime: go outside and throw a football around, football-related charades, or even just walking around a bit helps.