Super Snacks for a Super Bowl

According to the Calorie Control Council, Americans will eat 30 million pounds of snacks on the big game day and enough fat to equal the weight of 13,000 NFL offensive linemen (at 300 pounds each)! Here's the breakdown of what we're consuming:

• 11.2 million pounds of potato chips
• 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips
• 4.3 million pounds of pretzels
• 3.8 million pounds of popcorn
• 2.5 million pounds of nuts

The average armchair quarterback will eat about 1200 calories and 50 grams of fat just while watching the game. In terms of calories, that's like eating 6 doughnuts while 50 grams of fat is the same as eating more than half a stick of butter. If you're reading this and saying: "Hey, doughnuts and butter is what I had for breakfast," I suggest my nutrition intervention services for folks who's health role model is Homer Simpson.

The key to having a healthier Super Bowl Sunday is to modify our snacks by cutting back on the fat without sacrificing flavor. Here's a few recipes to help you do that.

Black Bean Dip

This dip only takes about 10 minutes to make. Feel free to get creative and add a little fresh avocado to the mix as well. This can be served with baked tortilla chips or for a twist, try the recipe for baked pita chips below.

Ingredients

1 19-ounce or 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup prepared salsa, hot or mild
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Combine black beans, salsa, lime juice, cilantro and cumin in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition
Per tablespoon : 17 Calories; 0 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 3 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 53 mg Sodium; 2 mg Potassium

Baked Pita Chips

Makes 32 chips.

Ingredients

4 whole-wheat pita breads
Olive oil cooking spray, or extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut pitas into 4 triangles each. Separate each triangle into 2 halves at the fold. Arrange, rough side up, on a baking sheet. Spritz lightly with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Per crisp: 23 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 43 mg sodium; 14 mg potassium.