What would fall be without the Jets, Giants, and a little pre-game fun in the Meadowlands parking lot? Autumn tailgates are all about family, friends, and food—but if you’re concerned about the consequences of a high-fat, high-calorie diet (and you should be), it’s time to turn over a new leaf. Introduce some healthy tailgating traditions with advice from Gale Reed, RD, Overlook Hospital’s outpatient dietician.

Good Food for Good Times … and Good Health

It’s difficult to plan a healthy menu without first knowing what types of foods should not be on it: foods packed with saturated fat, calories, salt, and sugar. “If you’re tailgating, chances are you’ll be eating for hours, so it’s especially important to cut out high calorie-density foods, meaning foods that even in small portions are high in calories,” explains Reed. “If you opt for lower calorie-density foods, those calories won’t add up so fast.”

The hard truth is that if you want to make tailgating healthier for your family, they’ll have to say so long to things like fried chicken, wings, potato chips, greasy bacon cheeseburgers, and hot dogs, and replace them with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables, baked chips, whole grains, and lean protein. Before you say, “My family just won’t eat that,” check out some of Reed’s ideas for preparing food that’s as delicious as it is healthy.

• Instead of serving up an artery-clogging chicken parmigiana or meatball hero, opt for grilled chicken heroes. Start with skinless chicken breasts (the skin is where most of the fat lurks, anyway) and season or marinate them however you like. Top off the chicken with some grilled vegetables and even a smear of feta cheese, and serve it on a whole-wheat roll.


• Skip over fatty chicken wings and prepare barbeque chicken skewers instead. Cut skinless chicken breasts into cubes, and marinate them in teriyaki sauce. Arrange the cubes with veggies on water-soaked skewers, then grill. For a sweet-and-sour variety, add pineapple cubes.


• Grill sirloin burgers instead of using regular ground beef. Sirloin costs a bit more, but is much lower in fat and tastes just as good.


• Choose reduced-fat hot dogs or, even better, try turkey or chicken dogs.


• Prepare chili with ground turkey instead of beef or sausage.


• Serve salmon steaks, which are fantastic on a grill.


• Whip up dips with low-fat sour cream or low-fat yogurt, and serve with whole-wheat crackers or sliced vegetables. “You can munch on veggies all day,” says Reed.


• “Pretzels may be low in fat, but they’re also high in salt and calories,” Reed cautions. If you don’t want to skip them entirely, bring individual serving bags to keep you from over-indulging. Another option for a crunchy munchie: air-popped, butter-free popcorn.


• “Make salsa with black beans, which is a great source of protein,” says Reed (see Reed’s recipe on page 31). Serve it with whole-wheat crackers, baked tortilla chips, or zucchini cut into thin slices.


• If you’re serving beer, buy only light varieties.


• For dessert, top off fruit or berries with reduced-fat whipped cream.

Kids’ Corner

If you’re bringing the whole family to the game, it’s especially important that the younger members of your brood eat well. Your children are just beginning to develop eating habits that will last a lifetime, and it’s up to you to make sure they’re good ones. Focus on offering healthy options, and don’t worry about complaints. “If it’s there and they’re hungry, they’ll eat it,” says Reed, “and if you go the extra mile to make the food fun, they might even enjoy it.”

Chicken fingers are always a kiddie crowd-pleaser, but they’re also always deep-fried. Buy baked chicken fingers instead, or make your own with sliced skinless chicken breasts (turkey breasts work, too) and bread crumbs.

Kids—especially younger ones—love to dip, so give them carrot sticks or broccoli florets and a simple ranch dip made with low-fat sour cream.

Finger foods are another favorite, so bring along nutritious foods that can be eaten in cubes. Ham and cheese are good options.

Juice boxes are easy to use at a tailgate, but limit them to one per child. After that, offer bottled water or skim milk (if you have a good cooler). Soda is big no-no; it’s loaded with sugar and doesn’t really quench a child’s thirst. Remember: Liquid calories add up quickly and give little satisfaction in return.

Food For Thought: Six Smart Eating Strategies

It’s not just what you eat that matters, but how you approach eating. To prevent overeating before you even get out of the car, consider these tips.

• Don’t binge. Eating until you’re stuffed is always a bad idea, but when you’re going to be out in the heat or cold, overeating will really make you feel lousy (and you’ll spend most of the game standing in line for the restroom).


• Eat a light snack before you go ’gating. That way, you’re not starving when you see all the food. It also helps to drink a lot of water beforehand, to fill you up. (Yes, you may need to hit the restroom a few extra times, but it’s better than gorging on junk food.)


• Go easy on the alcohol. Beer and wine may be par for the course at tailgating parties, but alcohol can leave you dehydrated. Make sure you drink enough water.


• Commit to using a plate. It’s been proven time and again that we eat less when we put our food on a plate. Wandering around grazing on finger food is an easy way to overeat.


• Many tailgating parties are potluck; bring along some healthy fare so at least you know you and your family are covered.


• Focus on enjoying the time outdoors and don’t make it all about eating. Bring along a card game or toss around a football so there’s something else to do besides nosh.

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can of black beans, lightly rinsed
1 15 oz. can of corn kernels
2 medium tomatoes cut into ¼ inch dice
1 red pepper cut into ¼ inch dice
1 green pepper cut into ¼ inch dice
½ cup of red onion, well chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, well chopped;
include seeds
1⁄3 cup fresh lime juice
1⁄3 cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Toss all ingredients into a medium bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. Serve with zucchini “chips” (1⁄8 -inch slices of zucchini), whole-wheat crackers, and baked tortilla chips.