When you sit down on the couch to watch your favorite team play, you are rarely ever alone, right? I’m not even speaking in the sense that others are in the room with you. What I’m referring to are snacks and beverages. While there’s nothing wrong with having a snack and a drink while the game is on, things can get carried away quickly if you aren’t paying close attention. For that very reason, we have put together some snacking tips to abide by while watching your favorite team play.
Don’t allow your Sunday Funday (or any day/night of the week) to lead to an increase in your waistline. Here are some snacking tips to consider implementing into your game day plan.
Make Protein a Priority
The unfortunate part about snacking during games is that most of the snacks we feast on are mostly made up of unhealthy carbohydrates – which is why they taste so dang good. That said, if you keep them under control, you should be fine. But let’s be real, most people pig out while in front of the television watching their favorite team do battle.
Protein should be the main thing you are looking for and is one of the best snacking tips out there. Not only will the added protein help you hit your daily protein requirements, but protein will create a sense of satiety whereas you could almost eat an endless amount of carbs before you feel full – and by then, it’s too late.
When raiding the pantry for snack items, look for nuts, seeds, protein bars, granola that includes a protein source, and even something like an apple or celery with natural peanut butter or carrots and hummus. Anything with protein will almost always be a better choice over something full of unhealthy fat, sugar, and carbs.
Keep a Close Eye on Liquid Calories
Next on our list of snacking tips is liquid calories. This can be anything from regular soda, to beer, mixed drinks, straight liquor, sweetened tea, juice, energy drinks, the list goes on and on. Add in the fact that if you have some buddies over, that case of beer can disappear quickly when your buddy is asking you if you want another.
While no one here wants to be the party police, regardless of whether you are flying solo during the game or surrounded by your friends, liquid calories can add up quickly, and most of them are empty calories that provide zero nutritional benefit.
Looking at liquid calorie snacking tips, you will want to manage how much you consume. If you want to have an adult beverage or two (assuming you are of age), go for it. Just make sure it’s not a regular occurrence or that the couple you intended to enjoy turns into a case because you weren’t paying attention.
To take things a step further, no matter your beverage preference, try to manage your intake better by having a glass of water between drinks. So, if you drink a beer, have a glass of water next. In addition to reducing your intake of liquid calories, that glass of water can also help fill your stomach and can help prevent you from overeating during the game, making this tip a win-win scenario.
Portion Control is Important
Face it, you went into this with good intentions. Yet, the wheels fell off halfway through the game when you lost track of how much you ate. Portion control can mean the difference between eating 250 calories as a snack during the game and eating 2,500 calories.
Portion control is one of the snacking tips you can’t push to the side because if you do, you’ll definitely fall victim to overconsumption. Never grab a box or bag of anything and sit down with it on the couch or your favorite chair. Without even realizing it, your hand will naturally keep finding its way into the contents and grabbing more and more.
When you figure out what you want as a snack (or snacks), dump your portion into a bowl or plate, so you have a clear visual of how much you plan on consuming, and then once you consumed it all, you know you’re done. The key from there is resisting the urge to get up and load up your plate or bowl again. Stay strong!
Always Have a Plan
Having a party or going to one to watch the big game? Have a plan! It’s easy to hang around the table picking at all of the food while the game is on and chatting with your buddies, but that’s a sure way to pack on the pounds. Instead, one of the snacking tips you should consider is grabbing a plate, putting what you want to eat on it, and when you’re done, that’s all she wrote. Toss the plate in the trash or sink (depending on if it’s disposable or not) and call it quits.
If you plan on eating more than one plate of food or snack items, you again want to have a plan. Maybe your first plate is all the delicious foods you would typically stay away from. If so, make the second plate healthy food items that are high in protein, such as nuts, or go the route of filling your plate with vegetables that are high in fiber like broccoli.
Add This to Your Snacking Tips So You Can Play to Win
Here’s a little secret we want to share with you. If you worry about what you eat during gameday and want to keep your weight and body fat in check, add NutraBio UpSorb to your pre-game ritual.
NutraBio UpSorb is a nutrient optimizer that utilizes the power behind AstraGin® and BioPerine® to help better absorb and shuttle the food you consume into the muscle where it can be used rather than going to fat cells that can cause weight gain and body fat storage. Why not leverage the food you consume and help it move you closer to your goals rather than further away?
With a simple twice-a-day protocol, UpSorb can help you get the most out of your supplement and nutrition regimens. Now, all that’s left to do is sit down and enjoy the game.
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