Baseball season is officially here! What does that mean? It means going to your local ballpark, watching your favorite team battle it out and eating a lot of unhealthy ballpark food.
Besides paying an arm and a leg for beer and food, you’ll be paying with your health if you keep ingesting all those hot dogs and French fries.
By making a few healthy decisions you can feel good about what you’re eating, even if you don’t feel good about how well your team is playing. Here are five ways that you can eat healthy at your local stadium or arena.
1. Choose Chicken Over Beef or Pork
It might be considered un-American to not eat a hot dog at a baseball game, but since you do have alternatives, you should choose a healthier option. A typical Nathan’s hot dog has 297 calories, a hamburger 273 calories and a grilled skinless chicken breast sandwich has about 120 calories. If you have to choose between a grilled chicken sandwich and fried chicken fingers, always go with the sandwich.
2. Ditch the Ice Cream and Go for Frozen Yogurt
On a hot summer day you might want nothing more than a delicious ice cream cone, but beware the calories. A traditional vanilla ice cream cone has about 145 calories, while vanilla frozen yogurt has about 117 calories.
3. Popcorn vs. Peanuts
If you’re craving a snack to munch on during the game, choose peanuts instead of popcorn. A typical box of popcorn can have up to 2,000 calories, considering all the butter and oil that was used to cook it. A serving of dry roasted peanuts has about 854 calories, which is still high, but much healthier than those kernels.
4. Avoid the Cheese, Please!
Cheese is one of the tastiest, but most high-calorie foods to eat. That being said, as tempting as it may be to get an order of nachos smothered in cheese (over 1,000 calories), cheese-smothered French fries (644 calories) or a super soft pretzel with cheese (569 calories), opt for food without the cheese. Your stomach will thank you later.
5. Eat Beforehand or Bring Your Own Snacks
Whoever said that you have to spend a huge chunk of your hard-earned money at a baseball game? You can always eat before the game to avoid having the urge to splurge on fatty stadium food. Also, you can bring a Ziploc® bag of healthy snacks like granola or fruit to curb your appetite.
Now that you know how to eat healthy at your local sports stadium it’s time for you to put on your favorite jersey and support your local team!
To learn more about healthy food options visit Sinai Hospital's Diet and Nutrition page.
