Chicken wings, artichoke dip, potato skins: Super Bowl snacks are indulgent. Here’s how to make them healthier.

Edwina Clark
·5-min read
Make chicken wings at home in the air fryer and opt for hot sauce instead of buffalo or ranch to cut down on calories and sodium.
Make chicken wings at home in the air fryer and opt for hot sauce instead of buffalo or ranch to cut down on calories and sodium. (Getty Images)

Whether you’re a football fanatic or a once-a-year viewer, snacks — and let’s be honest, the commercials too — are always a highlight on Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone has their game day favorites, from chicken wings to potato skins and pizza. But if you’re trying to be more mindful of what you eat, Super Bowl appetizers can feel like a minefield of unhealthy options. Between cheesy dishes like nachos and artichoke dip and fatty protein options like wings and hot dogs, even a modest plate of such offerings can provide more than 1,000 calories, a day's worth of saturated fat and 1,000 mg of sodium — a trifecta that would make any cardiologist cringe.

Here’s how some of the most popular Super Bowl snacks stack up and how to make them a little healthier:

Five chicken wings with skin provides roughly 430 calories and 8.5 grams of saturated fat, substantial numbers for such a small amount of food. Add to that 100 to 300 calories for condiments and cooking, and five wings can provide a whole day's worth of saturated fat, 1,000 mg of sodium and more than 700 calories.

Tips: To make wings a little less indulgent, prepare them at home in the air fryer and go for hot sauce instead of buffalo or ranch to cut down on calories, saturated fat and sodium.

Made with multiple cheeses and mayo or sour cream, it’s no surprise that artichoke dip is big on calories, saturated fat and sodium. Offering about 250 calories, 7 to 9 grams of saturated fat and 300 mg of sodium per serving, trips back and forth to this cheesy dip could be a problem. While artichoke is a source of calcium, it’s not the healthiest way to get this bone-building nutrient.

Tips: If you love artichoke dip, be mindful of your portion sizes and pair with carrot sticks to keep it light. Making artichoke dip at home? Try substituting sour cream or mayo for plain Greek yogurt to cut the saturated fat content.

Like artichoke dip, this cheesy gameday favorite is heavy on calories, saturated fat and sodium, with many recipes containing north of 300 calories, 9g of saturated fat, and 500mg of sodium per serving. Moreover, it’s traditionally made with processed ingredients such ranch dressing and canned chicken, making it one of the unhealthiest dishes on game day.

Tips: Be aware of portion size and opt for carrot or celery sticks to keep calories in check. If you’re making the dip at home, use reduced-fat cream cheese and substitute canned chicken for skinless chicken breast to decrease the saturated fat and sodium content. You can also cut saturated fat while upping protein by making a healthier version of buffalo chicken dip using Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, buffalo sauce, shredded chicken and shredded cheese.

Nachos can be richer in veggies and fiber than other game day options, but topping them with piles of cheese and fatty ground beef or pork sends the calories, saturated fat and sodium sky-high. Some recipes indicate that nachos have more than 600 calories, 20 g of saturated fat and 700 mg of sodium per serving.

Tips: Load plain tortilla chips up with lean ground beef or turkey or shredded chicken breast, beans, fresh tomato and corn, and go light on the cheese for a healthier version of nachos that's loaded with fiber. Skip the sour cream and top with guacamole or sliced avocado instead.

These puff pastry-cloaked mini hot dogs provide fewer calories per serving than other Super Bowl appetizers but lack the calcium and other micronutrients of their cheesier counterparts. A single pig in a blanket provides around 80 calories, 3 g of saturated fat and 200 mg of sodium. The main protein source in this dish (hot dogs) is highly processed, which most health professionals caution against because of the link between processed meats and heart disease and cancer.

Tips: Think of pigs in a blanket as a small snack, limiting your serving size to only a couple of them, and skip rich condiments like mayo.

Like nachos, potato skins can be one of the more fiber-rich choices among Super Bowl appetizers thanks to the potatoes themselves. Two potato skins provide around 250 calories, 7 g of saturated fat, 300 mg of sodium and 2 g of fiber, as well as 20% to 30% of the daily recommended intake of potassium — a widely under-consumed nutrient that helps promote heart health.

Tips: Swap regular bacon for turkey bacon and use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to make potato skins a little lighter on calories and saturated fat.

A slice of cheese pizza provides 280 calories, 5g of saturated fat and 600mg of sodium, although the amount varies widely depending on where you get it from and the size of the slice. Pizza also offers a little bit of calcium to support healthy bones.

Tips: If you have the time, make pizza at home instead of going for store-bought. Top with a thin layer of cheese and add veggies like mushrooms and artichokes for additional fiber.

Super Bowl Sunday snacks are notoriously rich in calories, saturated fat and sodium. Although a single meal is unlikely to ruin your health, a few simple tweaks can make your spread less indulgent. You can also pair a few traditional gameday options with nutritious snacks like hummus and sliced vegetables or a veggie-loaded chili to make your Super Bowl meal a little healthier without feeling like you’re missing out on your favorite appetizers.

Edwina Clark is a registered dietitian.

Latest stories