Party Snacks Are Ruining Your Diet
Avoid These Snacks
Want to know which other foods to stay away from? Here is a look at 11 snacks that could wreck your diet.
Cheese
Who doesn't love a good cheese plate? Your personal trainer, that's who. One little cube of Cheddar cheese holds 120 calories. Sure, protein is good for you, but, considering one little square eats up more than half the recommended calorie intake for an entire snack serving, is that one miniature bite worth it?
Chicken Wings
There is no way you will get through the day without chowing down on a few wings. Chicken wings are a rite of passage on Super Bowl Sunday. Just keep in mind that each wing has about 135 calories and 2.5 grams of saturated fat, making them o
French Fries
No, these won't count as part of your vegetable intake for the day. A medium order of fries weighs in at around 365 calories and around 17 grams of fat. If you're counting carbs, count all the way to 40 grams. Since these are generally eaten as a side and not an on-its-own snack, you can expect to be tipping the scales on the heavy side for the day
Guacamole
According to the Hass Avocado Board, over Super Bowl weekend, approximately 100 million pounds of guacamole will be eaten. This is a great snack option if you stop at the recommended 2-tablespoon serving size for 50 calories. Since you probably won't, you can expect to take in around 155 calories and 17 grams of fat in a ½ cup of the stuff – not counting the 146 calories in the 10 tortilla chips you'll likely be using to shovel it all in.
Hummus
Hummus is definitely one of the healthier snack options out there, but beware of the packaged varieties, which can contain double the calories of a homemade hummus — 60 percent of them coming from fat. And since most Super Bowl party hosts are using Hummus their blenders for other things, chances are the hummus offering will be the store-bought variety.
Pigs in a Blanket
A party ain't a party without pigs in a blanket! It'll be harder than cheering for the Jets was this past season, but you must walk away from these cute little bite-sized snacks. Do so and you'll be saving yourself almost 300 calories and 20 grams of fat per pig.
Potato Chips
Bet you can't eat just one. Chances are, you won't. A serving size of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream (11 chips) contains 10 grams of fat, 160 calories, and 180 milligrams of sodium. Since 11 chips really isn't that much, you can count on still being hungry after this mindless munch.
Pretzels
You might opt for pretzels over potato chips because they are baked contain less fat and are lower in calories, but pretzels are a gateway snack to packing on the pounds. Pretzels are made with enriched white flour that will convert to sugar in your bloodstream. So too many of them will do just as much damage as a fried chip will. Also, one cup contains 171 calories and a whole lot of salt that will just lead to more drinking (probably calorie-heavy beer) and eating.
Snack Mixes
These mixes look harmless enough. A bunch of cereal and a few cheese doodles thrown in for good measure can't be that bad, right? Think again. The American Heart Association says that you should consume less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, and considering just one serving size of Chex Mix Bold Party Blend (one cup) contains almost a third of that value, you'll want to stay away from this stuff.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Spinach and artichoke dip is basically a bowl of fat that met some vegetables along the way and invited them in for a swim. With over 1,500 calories and 100 grams of fat, an order of this stuff is almost a full day's worth of your entire recommended caloric intake.
Vegetables and Ranch Dressing
You may think you're doing yourself a favor by choosing to park it at the platter of vegetables and dip. Consider this, though: there are around 73 calories and a hefty 7.7 grams of fat in a tablespoon of ranch dressing. You could reach that number easily with two dips of a carrot. That means five carrots plus five celery sticks dressed in dip and you might as well have had a Big Mac.