13 Classic Game Day Dishes, Ranked From Best to Worst for Your Health

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes, RDN

On game day, there’s nothing better than enjoying your favorite sport while surrounded by friends, family, and your favorite snacks.

While some game day foods, like veggies and hummus and baked wings, are packed with satiating protein and fiber, other game-day eats aren’t as nutritious.

Although you don’t have to completely avoid your favorites, learning more about certain dishes and how they impact your health can help you make better decisions on game day.

Here are 13 game day foods, including healthy options and game day foods that should be limited.

Healthy Choices for Game Day

1. Vegetable and Dip Platter

Though vegetables aren’t usually the star of the show on game day, adding some veggies to your plate can provide much-needed fiber, vitamins, and minerals to your game day meal.

Vegetable platters are easy to make and can be paired with nutritious dips like hummus and Greek yogurt dip. Combining crunchy vegetables, like celery, peppers, carrots, and broccoli, which are high in fiber, with a protein-rich dip, like hummus, is a much more nutritious way to satisfy your salty cravings than less healthy staples, like chips.

Fiber and protein slow down digestion and stimulate the release of satiety hormones, like peptide YY (PYY), which tell your body that you've had enough to eat. This is why choosing high-fiber, high-protein snacks at game day bashes can help you keep your calorie intake in check.

2. Baked Wings

Deep-fried wings are delicious, but they’re high in calories and harmful compounds generated during the frying process called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).  AGEs are molecules created through reactions between sugars and proteins or fat that trigger oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, which can increase disease risk.

Choosing wings prepared using healthier cooking methods that produce fewer AGEs, like baking, is a better choice for overall health. In addition to being lower in calories and AGEs than fried wings, baked chicken wings are a good source of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, zinc, and selenium, plus protein, which can help you feel satisfied after eating.

3. Shrimp Cocktail

If you're looking for a savory game day snack that's low in calories and carbs yet high in filling protein, look no further than shrimp cocktail. A 3-ounce serving of shrimp provides just 84.2 calories but is packed with over 20 grams (g) of protein, making it a perfect choice to satisfy hunger on game day.

In addition to protein, shrimp is high in vitamins and minerals such as iron, selenium, and vitamin B12, plus anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.

Shrimp cocktail is a friendly choice for people following different dietary patterns such as low-carb, paleo, and keto diets, as well as those simply looking for a nutritious, high-protein snacking choice. Studies show that choosing high-protein snacks over those low in protein can help reduce appetite, improve feelings of fullness, and help you eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.

4. Fruit and Cheese Plate

If you need a last-minute idea for a big game snacking board, consider preparing a fruit and cheese platter. Fruits, such as berries, pineapple, and sliced apples, are easy to prepare and packed with nutrients like fiber and vitamin C.

Pairing fruit with protein-rich cheese provides the perfect combination of salty and sweet flavors that many party-goers crave. In addition to protein, cheeses are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, a mineral that's required for skeletal health, muscle function, and many other critical functions in the body.

Try a combination of your favorite fruits and cheeses, including soft and hard cheeses like parmesan, goat cheese, cheddar, and brie, for a satisfying array of textures and flavors.

5. Chicken or Vegetarian Chili

Chili is a game day staple that's made with nutritious ingredients like beans, onions, and peppers. Chili is amongst the few foods for the big game that provide a complete, filling meal, making it a good choice for hungry football fans.

While beef chili can be a healthy choice, many health experts recommend cutting back on red meat whenever possible, as diets high in red meat have been associated with a greater risk of developing certain health conditions, like stomach cancer.

If you'd like to cut back on your red meat intake, consider whipping up a pot of chicken or vegetarian chili packed with fiber-rich beans.

6. Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are a fan favorite that can be made to suit a variety of dietary preferences. For example, mushrooms can be stuffed with veggies and ground turkey for a high-protein, low-carb appetizer or made with beans and cheese for a vegetarian-friendly option.

In addition to being low in carbs and calories and high in fiber, studies show that regularly consuming mushrooms is an easy and delicious way to boost your intake of essential nutrients like copper, potassium, zinc, B vitamins, and selenium, a mineral that’s necessary for thyroid function and also acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body.

7. Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, and Salsa

Rather than dunking potato chips in ultra-processed dips, consider snacking on corn-based tortilla chips or plantain chips paired with freshly made guacamole and salsa. Unlike most store-bought dips, like French onion dip, guacamole and salsa are packed with nutritious ingredients known to support health.

For example, guacamole is made with avocados, which are rich in fiber, heart-healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium.

Salsa is another nutritious choice and is packed with carotenoid antioxidants, such as lycopene. Lycopene has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body and studies show that regularly consuming lycopene-rich foods, like tomato-based products, could help reduce the risk of common health conditions, like heart disease.

8. Deviled Eggs

Eggs are often referred to as "nature's multivitamin," and for good reason. Eggs are an excellent source of filling protein, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals such as choline, selenium, and B12.

Deviled eggs are made with simple ingredients and are tasty and easy to make, which is why they're a popular snack at game day parties. Deviled eggs pair perfectly with other healthy noshes for the big game, like veggies and hummus or fruit and cheese, and are a convenient and delicious snacking choice.

Game Day Favorites to Limit

9. Stuffed Crust Pizza

Pizza is one of the most common foods served at game day parties. While pizza isn't inherently bad for you, the types of pizza served on game day, like takeout stuffed crust pies, are usually very high in calories, refined carbs, added salt, processed meats, and other ingredients that should be limited in any healthy diet.

For example, a slice of Papa John's Epic Stuffed Crust Pepperoni, Sausage, & Six Cheese pizza contains 480 calories and 1,220 milligrams (mg) of sodium, making it a high-calorie, high-sodium food. Many pizzas are also topped with processed meats, like pepperoni, sausage, and bacon, which may harm health if consumed too often.

For a healthier spin on traditional pizza, choose thin-crust pizza and pile on the veggies, or make your own pizza at home using nutritious ingredients.

10. Cupcakes, Brownies, and Cookies

Though game day-themed treats like cupcakes, brownies, and cookies are hard to resist, it's best to limit your intake of desserts and other sugary foods. Consuming too much added sugar can harm your health by increasing your blood sugar and body fat levels and raising your risk for developing a number of health conditions, including fatty liver, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

While enjoying an occasional sweet treat won't significantly impact your health, it's best to choose more nutritious, naturally sweet options, like a plate of fruit and cheese, over sugar-laden desserts whenever possible. There are also plenty of ways to create lower sugar, higher protein and fiber versions of your favorite desserts by using ingredients like monk fruit and almond or coconut flour.

11. Bacon-Wrapped Meatballs

If you're a bacon lover, you may want to think about cutting back on this uber-popular processed meat product. According to research studies, bacon has one of the highest concentrations of AGEs of any other food. Plus, diets high in processed meats, like bacon, are significantly associated with a number of cancers, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer.

Bacon is often used to "wrap" other animal proteins, including meatballs, sausages, and hot dogs. Because bacon and other processed meat products are known to harm health when consumed regularly, it's best to pass on bacon-themed snacks for the big game. Instead, opt for chicken or turkey sliders or meatballs or plant-based options, like black bean burgers.

12. Fried Mac and Cheese Bites

With its gooey texture and salty taste, mac and cheese is a football fan favorite. Like many foods at game day parties, mac and cheese is often deep-fried and shaped into bite-sized morsels for easy snacking.

Deep-fried foods are high in calories and are often low in satiating nutrients like protein and fiber. Plus, fried foods are high in AGEs, which can harm health if consumed in large amounts.

To satisfy your cheesy cravings, snack on cheese and fruit or make a lighter, protein-rich version of mac and cheese by adding cottage cheese to your recipe, which packs 24 grams of satiating protein per cup.

13. Soda and Other Sweetened Beverages

To cut back on your added sugar intake on game day, consider skipping soda, sweetened cocktails, and other sugary beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverage intake has been linked to a host of health issues and can harm your liver, teeth, and more.

Stay hydrated during the game by sipping on water flavored with fresh lemon or lime juice and choose low-sugar cocktails and beverages whenever possible.

A Quick Review

While most game day parties and get-togethers revolve around spreads consisting of sugary desserts, deep-fried foods, and pizza, there are healthier options to nosh on while enjoying the game.

In general, it's best to pass on popular game day treats like cupcakes, cookies, deep-fried foods, and processed meat dishes and instead fill your plate with healthier options like baked wings, veggies and hummus, and fruit and cheese.

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