Five Healthy Game Day Snacks

With so many people on special diets and watching what they eat, game day junk food just isn’t as popular as it once was. If you are having a gathering and know you have a group with special dietary needs coming, these are some great options that most diets will allow for.

1. Pistachios – Pistachios are tasty little crunchy morsels that are fun to eat. A healthy portion is 49 nuts, so you don’t have to scrimp. Plus, they are a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin E, and potassium, which are three nutrients many Americans are falling short of in their diets. Nuts also contain phytochemicals that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help your body fight against heart disease and certain cancers.




2. Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips – Kale is a superfood and when baked they get crispy. They take on whatever flavors you add to them fantastically and are really quite edible. Kale is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, full of fiber, a great source of calcium, low in calories and full of antioxidants. For ideas on how to make them, check out this recipe.




3. Sriracha Popcorn – For a crunchy, spicy, salty bowl of yumminess, you can’t go wrong with sriracha popcorn. It’s so easy to make. Pop a big bowl of popcorn. In a small pan, melt about two tablespoons of butter, mix in two tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ tablespoon of garlic and 1 tablespoon of Sriracha. Pour over your popcorn and salt to taste. Dig in! For a fun little fact about popcorn that you can discuss at halftime, it’s chock-full of fiber!




4. Hummus – Hummus is a very popular Mediterranean dip made from chick peas. It’s super easy to make and so flavorful. Chickpeas are packed with nutrients and protein. Serve it with pitas and sliced cucumbers, carrot and celery sticks. You can buy it premade at the store, or there are several simple recipes out there.




5. Veggie Tray – This one is kind of a no brainer, but they are always so popular. If you want to take it up a notch, do grilled vegetables marinated in an Italian vinaigrette. Things like yellow squash and or zucchini, eggplant, asparagus, red and yellow peppers, and portabella mushrooms grill up nicely. Maybe add a tzatziki for dipping. Or if you want to keep it simple, keep the tzatziki for dipping and just do carrot and celery sticks, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices and black olives. Either way, I bet that tray is empty by the end of the game.

Now that you have the healthy snacks figured out, go ahead and order the pizza and wings for the rest of the group that will eat whatever they want. And don’t forget the beer and hard apple cider for those that can’t have gluten.

Heart of the Desert is a working pistachio ranch and vineyard with four retail establishments in New Mexico. They are best known for their farm fresh pistachios and Award-Winning New Mexico wines. Each store offers wine and pistachio tastings. They offer worldwide shipping and produce attractive gourmet baskets that make great corporate and family gifts. The main store, on the ranch in Alamogordo, offers farm tours that showcases how pistachios are grown and processed as well as a stunning Tuscany themed patio that overlooks the groves and is available for weddings, private parties or enjoying a relaxing glass of wine.