Don't Fumble Your Diet by Choosing This Snack!

It's the best time of the year for football fanatics: Super Bowl Sunday! But it's not just about the football (and hilarious commercials)--the festivities also typically include a smorgasbord of salty and fatty snacks galore. You've probably indulged in the common 7-layer Mexican dip and wings with ranch dressing, but have you ever thought about how these snacks compare, nutrition-wise? The 7-layer dip doesn't sound so bad—it's made with a lot of healthy ingredients like beans, olives and guacamole. And how many calories could really be crammed into just 6 tiny wings with ranch dressing?

Between a cup of 7-layer dip (made with beans, cheese, guacamole, black olives, sour cream, and onions and served with baked tortilla chips) and 6 wings with 1 ounce of ranch dressing, which is the lower-calorie game day snack?

The Winner: 7-Layer Dip!

Even though this dip comes out on top, it's certainly not a ''light'' snack—one cup with one serving of baked tortilla chips clocks in at 562 calories, 42 grams of fat and 824 mg of sodium! But the wings are even more shocking—just 6 wings with one ounce of ranch dressing tips the scales at 752 calories, 64 grams of fat and 836 mg sodium. If you were to indulge in both snacks over the course of the game (not including beers or any other nibbles), you would consume 1,314 calories, 106 grams of fat, and 1,660 mg of sodium before the final touchdown!

Intercept your snack attack by choosing some of the game day recipes from the collections below. They're still full of all the traditional flavors you crave, but for a fraction of the calories, fat and sodium.

12 Healthy Game Day Recipes
15 Healthy Snacks for Super Bowl Sunday
Nutritious and Delicious Super Bowl Recipes

And finally, don't forget to work out while you watch the game to help burn off some of those calories!

Do you have any snacking traditions for Super Bowl Sunday?

Comments

BWRETLIND 3/21/2018

Thanks! Report

ANHELIC 2/8/2018

Thanks for the information Report

KATHYJO56 2/5/2018

Great information Report

NASFKAB 12/17/2017

useful information thank you Report

PATRICIAANN46 9/12/2017

Great information............Thank You. Report

ARGYLEMYSTERY 6/29/2017

I make a layered bean dip with homemade vegetarian refried beans, cheese, guacamole, black olives, onions, jalapenos, & tomatoes that is no where near as high in calories, fat or sodium but tastes amazing. I also serve it with both baked chips and with sweet peppers as a dipping alternative. Are people really that surprised that wings are not usually healthy. Report

MUSICNUT 6/25/2017

Thanks for the great information! :) Report

DJ4HEALTH 6/24/2017

Thanks for the info Report

KITT52 6/9/2017

thanks for the info..now I know I need to watch for those calories or they will get ya...lol Report

EVILCECIL 4/27/2017

Good tip. Report

ETHELMERZ

I guess I'm lucky that either one of those snacks sound disgusting to me, wings are a joke, no matter what is done to them...and I don't "dip". Report

LAYLASMOMMY9911

WOW!!! I love both of those and not too long ago I would have ate both. That's like my whole day worth of calories. YIKES~ Report

QUEEN3510VA

Thanks for the info. I love the 7 layer dip but didn't pay too much attention to the calories or the servings. Big eye opener. Report

WOOGIE123

Thanks for the tips! Report

JENNAAW

Those nutritional numbers are a real eye-opener! This year all those commercials before game day were making me crave pizza, so I bought a frozen Smart Ones pizza and ate that. I had a lot of nice unsweetened iced tea with that and felt great. Wings and all the sugary bread sticks leave me feeling hungry and unsatisfied; I am sure that led to binges in the past. Report

EWILLIAMS1000

It's one of just a few days a year that I will eat ruffles and dip. I don't normally eat chips but something about the superbowl screams "you need to eat a bag of chips and a bucket of dip" Not a great habit year round but the one day of the year when it happens, I indulge and say no the rest of the year. Report

MISSLISA1973

Wow, what an eye-opener! Report

CLAYLADY001

I love chic.wings but my Hubby doesn't so I cook them for myself.I bake them after they have marinated for about 1-2hours.So good.Yesterday was our "pig-out"day and we indulged totally.I spent most of the day cooking up all kinds of goodies but the fun part of course was serving and eating them.There are only two of us but I still ate more than I should but superbowl sunday why not?and the snacks were our total meals for the day !Sorry our team lost!!
Today is monday and I will be careful again with my eating and I will exercise harder this week.I am still losing weight but almost to slowly so will step up my exercise routine. Report

CLAYLADY001

I love chic.wings but my Hubby doesn't so I cook them for myself.I bake them after they have marinated for about 1-2hours.So good.Yesterday was our "pig-out"day and we indulged totally.I spent most of the day cooking up all kinds of goodies but the fun part of course was serving and eating them.There are only two of us but I still ate more than I should but superbowl sunday why not?and the snacks were our total meals for the day !
Today is monday and I will be careful again with my eating and I will exercise harder this week.I am still losing weight but almost to slowly so will step up my exercise routine. Report

AY_BEAUTIFUL89

I had a few containers of almonds and raisins. Actually, it ended up being the same calorie count. I guess it helps me feel better to know that they were healthy calories. Report

BOREDIMSO

I didn't really snack during the Superbowl. I was trying to get cleaning done before the game started so I only had 3 of the small serving of homemade oven fries I made. They were made with a peeled sliced small russet potatoe with a drizzle of Olive Oil. I had planned that to be a snack but since I was so busy, those 3 fries and a granola bar turned out to be my lunch. Then for dinner during the game, I had one grilled wing with hot sauce, a grilled boneless skinless thigh and a cup of tomato Penne. I left the skin on the wing since I was only having the one wing. I didn't feel the need to overindulge in anything rather just relished a treat in a small serving. But I love this boneless skinless wing recipe so I might have to try it next time. Report

ERCLRSN

I can see boneless wings doused on sauce having that many cal, not bone in. Either way I make mine bake mine using a dry buffalo wing rub Report

PRINCESSNIBBLES

I love wings (Winger's are the best!), but sweetie doesn't, so that solves that problem. That said, we'll be eating Costco pizza and the Townhouse crackers and little squares of cheese. We bought a little pack so we won't have leftovers Monday. We had Greek yogurt and fruit for breakie. Report

CINCYDORA

Wings from restaurants are about 100 calories a piece because they are fried and there's butter in the coating. Add 4 Tbsp of blue cheese and 752 calories sounds about right.

My alternative: baked chicken breast nuggets with panko breading on a salad with homemade low fat blue cheese dressing. Twice as filling, and quite tasty. Report

-LINDA_S

Wings are my go-to food when I'm doing low carb, which is most of the time. I just need to watch the breading, if there is any. I agree with Woubbie. Report

PAMLICO-DAZE

So happy to find this blog! You save me from wings for dinner. Now I am making a healthier option. Thanks Report

WOUBBIE

I can't imagine where they got these numbers. Not from the SP tracker for sure. ALDI hot and spicy wings are 255 calories for 6, and most of the other brands range from around 275 to 350 for that serving size. The only one that high is something from Chili's called Triple Dipper Wings. There's obviously a big difference, too, in what size wings they started with, cause the range of protein is from 15 to 36 grams for those same 6 wings.

And the Kraft Full Fat Ranch dressing is only 120 calories for 2T (which is 1 ounce).

This kind of information is useless unless you know EXACTLY what they're comparing, but I can tell you this - 6 buffalo wings with an ounce of dressing are NOT 752 calories. And if you eat low carb, who counts calories anyways. Eat up and lose! Yum! Report

BRONHI

Fools'-ball? Buncha overgrown monsters man-handlin' each other... 'Member when dat man wanted you to play foos-ball, Bobby? :) Report

KUTEY5041

I am ready for the superbowl. Don't have a team I am going to root for yet. Guess I better decide soon. LOL
I am going to try to stay away from high calorie foods. I probably will eat something at home first and maybe just a couple of bites of something if it looks really great Report

SHAKESALOT

Oh NO!! Report

MNTWINSGAL

Super Bowl Sunday is one day when I let loose a little. We will have bbq wings, but I'll only eat a couple. Good point from Bigloser4 -- a real wing is actually two wings the way most people prepare them. We'll also have cheese and sausage and crackers, shrimp cocktail, and queso dip. All in moderation. Then tomorrow, back on the wagon, lol.

Go 49ers! Report

DEEINWI

I will be in bed before the game, I get up at 3 am for work! Report

PJBONARRIGO

Hmmmm.... portion control and moderation? Spark on, it can be done. I'd try eating less- like 1/2 cup of 7-Layer Dip (or less) and 3 (or less) wings. I'd fill up with my old standby- crudite and have a beer, then drink H2O or seltzer (with a twist LOL). That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. Oh, and catch up with my friends (aka don't talk with your mouth full) ;-) Report

SWEETNEEY

dem little wings pack some power and you have to eat so many of them to feel satisfied. Report

JIBBIE49

I'm not watching the game so won't have all that fat stuff to deal with. LOL Report

BIGLOSER4

So... I don't eat many wings anymore since I learned how many calories they have, but I wonder... 752 calories for 6 wings... is it for every piece I eat or for every "true wing"? Because a true wing has 2 pieces that get separated when making buffalo wings. Does anyone know? Report

JUST_BREATHE08

I agree...Lil smokies. GO 49ers!!! Report

DRAGONCHILDE

Lil smokies, sauteed with peppers and onions and a bit of olive oil, and that is SUPER tasty. I can't get enough! Report

CMROBERTS0617

I'm exited about Super Bowl Sunday. I'm not rooting for anyone, I'm just love the game! Report

LINDSAY622

My boyfriend absolutely loves Lil smokies. That's had become the main tradition for any special occasions such as the super bowl.......Have a great super bowl weekend..I'm rooting for the ravens Report

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Don't Fumble Your Diet by Choosing This Snack!

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