Surviving Super Bowl Parties without Blowing the Diet!

At the beginning of this year, many of you made New Year’s Resolutions to change your diet and eat healthier, so, I’m here to help you keep that commitment and survive the Super Bowl Sunday feast!  So, here are a few quick tips to help you for the big day.

Tip 1:  Drink 3 (16oz) bottles of water prior to arriving to the party.  On average, the daily allowance of water intake of water is about 2.5 Liters for women and 3 Liters for men.  So, before breakfast, drink 1 bottle of water and then two hours after breakfast drink the second bottle.  An hour before you arrive to the party, drink the third bottle of water.  This will prevent you from being famished salivating for those fried hot wings dipped hot sauce and topped with ranch dressing.

Tip 2:  Pack your own food and drinks.  If you know you have a goal of eating healthier or perhaps to lose weight, the best way to keep this goal if you lack willpower is to bring your own food to the party!  Make sure you bring enough to share because I guarantee that even the none-healthy eaters will be trying to eat from your stash—especially if it looks delicious!  Consider the following snacks/foods:

• Hummus paired w/ baby carrots, sugar snap peas, and sliced bell peppers (red, yellow and orange)—if you don’t want to make the hummus, purchase from your local grocery store or restaurant; looks for brands that don’t have a lot of stuff in it!
• Guacamole served with one 8-inch round whole grain tortilla—if gluten free get the brown rice tortillas, but if not, try Food For Life tortillas!  You can make your own or purchase from the store—try Wholly Guacamole.
• Salsa – Salsa is sold absolutely everywhere from convenient stores to grocery stores, this snack is indeed a party favorite!  Just make sure you try to find one without high fructose corn syrup in it!
• Baked Chips – there are a lot of baked chips on the market, but one of my favorite brands that offer baked chips is Garden of Eatin’.
• Fresh fruit– fresh fruit is a great snack when eaten in moderation.  Try and get a variety which includes berries and pineapples instead of the fruit trays that have lots of melons—those tend to have higher natural sugar content.
• Baked hot wings—instead of eating the traditional wings which will definitely be at the party, prepare your own wings at home by baking them instead of frying.

Tip 3:  Avoid those “sneaky drinks.”  Typically the beverages of choice during the party are beer and/or other beverages containing alcohol, which you already know the impact on those.  But other beverages at the party may be fruit juices, which I called the “sneaky drinks.”  So, pay attention to what you are drinking; just because it’s 100% juice without alcohol, you still need to watch the number of flavored beverages that you consume.  If you want something tasty, healthy and fizzy, try either of these two beverages; they come in a variety of flavors:

• Izze
• Fizzy Lizzy

Yes, I know that this may appear to be extreme, but some of you have goals to achieve for 2012, so don’t let one day set you back a few weeks!