Unboxed: 20 healthier game day eats for the win
It’s that time of year again, and whether they're vested in the big game or merely along for the appetizers (and the ads), consumers will love these game-day, go-to eats for a healthier way to enjoy the other reason everyone loves watching sports: the food.
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Consumers won't be able to get enough of this 100% plant-based, dairy-free Spinach Artichoke dip. Packed with flavor and sporting a creamy texture and just the right amount of tang, this delicious dip is made in small batches from cashews, almonds, spinach and fire roasted artichokes. Warning: Once open, it’s too good to stop.
This naturally fermented ranch dressing and dip will blow any other ranch out of the water. Made with kefir and fermented vegetables (cabbage, garlic and dill), as well as date syrup, vinegar, sea salt, mustard and spices, this newly launched Keto Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified dressing is certain to become a must-have appetizer accoutrement.
Primal Kitchen's plant-based Buffalo Sauce is made with avocado oil and creamy cashew butter and without natural flavors or xanthan gum. Drizzle this tasty sauce on veggies, pizza crust, bread or chips for the perfect mixture of flavor and medium heat.
With 3 of grams protein and 3 grams of fiber per 1-ounce serving, these certified organic chips are perfect for guilt-free snacking while watching the big game. Made from real veggies including green and yellow peas, potatoes and black beans, these popped chips are light, flavorful and perfectly crunchy.
Looking for the perfect vehicle for that dip? Lesser Evil has just launched these Grain Free Veggie Sticks. Made with a blend of seven organic vegetables, cassava flour and starch, olive oil and Himalayan salt, these sticks are Certified Grain Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher and USDA Organic.
We’d take these crunch-tastic lentils over most chips any day, thanks to their fantastic texture, unbeatable flavor and rich nutritional profile—at 5 grams of plant-based protein per 30-gram serving. These Non-GMO Project Verified legumes are great on salads, but we prefer them straight out of the bag—by the fistful.
Olives make a superfood game day snack that is both healthy and delicious. These soon-to-market, certified organic Greek Olives are produced through a combination of regenerative farming and natural fermentation processes, which ensures that the olives are nutrient dense and packed with gut-friendly probiotics and naturally occurring antioxidants.
Swap those traditional hot wings for these tasty cauliflower florets that are vegan, gluten free and soy free. Coated in a mixture of crunchy panko and a blend of corn and rice flours, they're “breaded” frozen cauliflower wings that can be popped into the fryer or oven, and then served up with tangy Buffalo sauce. Also available in Kung Pao Broccoli Tempura and Ranch Cauliflower Wings varieties.
These individually wrapped, frozen veggie frittatas might have been ideated for breakfast, but they also make great finger food that can be easily heated up in either the oven or a microwave. Made with Beyond Meat plant-based sausage crumbles, these gluten-free bites start with a blend of cauliflower, potatoes and onions and add into the mix cage-free eggs and cheddar cheese.
There’s no chicken in THESE nuggets, just a crispy plant-based recipe created by founder GW Chew who began his journey with plant-based proteins in his mother’s kitchen some fifteen years ago. Today the growing brand makes a range of vegan alternatives to meaty favorites that include these Chicken Nuggets, along with Fried Chicken, Bar-B-Chew Chicken, Shredded Chicken and Philly Shreddy Steak.
Frozen pizza is a game day standard, but what about this flavorful vegan Flatbread Pizza? Organic tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery and garlic unite in this dairy-free pie, which gets added richness from red wine, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, herbs, balsamic vinegar and a bruschetta topping made with fresh plum tomatoes and red onions. This handmade pizza is wood-fired and wonderfully crispy for thin-crust pizza lovers.
No gluten? No problem. Not only is this Roasted Veggie Pizza part of a new line from this all-about-the-chickpea brand, it’s also Certified Gluten-Free. The 16 grams of protein are thanks to the crispy, chickpea-based crust and toppings that include mozzarella, white cheddar and provolone cheeses garnished with caramelized onion, spinach, roasted red and yellow bell peppers and roasted garlic, in a tomato sauce.
Is mac n’ cheese considered game day food? You bet it is (though a fork might help in this case). And vegans can rejoice in this newly launched red lentil rotini version from Modern Table that is packed with 16 grams of protein per serving and Certified Vegan, Gluten-Free, Kosher and Non-GMO Project Verified.
Game day hot dogs and brats are tradition, and these blended meat-and-veg sausages offer a healthier way to keep that tradition alive. Made with Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) certified pork, fresh beets and a blend of garlic and fennel, these sweet Italian style sausages are bright and flavorful. Bonus: this woman-owned company offsets its production and shipping carbon emissions, and the product uses recyclable paper packaging from renewable sources with plant-based inks and compostable shipping boxes.
Customers can whip up their own plant-based burgers in just ten minutes using this Veggie Protein mix from Down to Cook. This easy process involves briefly soaking the protein crumble in water and adding 2 cups of a favorite vegetable (think finely chopped or diced broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, zucchini or eggplant), the included spice mix and olive oil, for a patty-ready mixture with great flavor and texture.
Beer is to football like … well, we don’t know, but when prepping for the big game while still focused on health, not just any beer will do. This Sparkling Ale from Portland, Maine, Certified B Corp, craft brewery is brewed with fruit, for a slightly tart, bright and flavorful drinking experience that comes in at just 100 calories, 7 grams of carbs and 3.8% ABV. It also comes in a Peach and Kombucha variety.
This non-alcoholic craft IPA has lush tropical notes and what the brewery describes as a “restrained piney West Coast hop finish.” Fermented with the ancient Norwegian Kveik yeast strain and a new variety of hop, this sugar-free, low-carb beer boasts just 0.5% ABV.
This sparkling tonic is a great alternative to sugary, empty-calorie sodas. With 9 grams of dietary fiber and only 2 grams of sugar per can, the soda contains the brand’s proprietary blend called OLISMART, a mixture of cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, nopal cactus, calendula flower, kudzu root, marshmallow root and slippery elm bark. Botanical flavors and juices round off this truly innovative alternative to traditional soda.
In search of something sweet to snack on? These new Dough Bites from Enlightened are the perfect option for sports fans who wish to limit their sugar and carb intake. With just 2 grams of net garbs and 0 grams of sugar per serving, these almond and dutched cocoa morsels get their sweetness from a blend of allulose, erythritol and monk fruit, and are gluten free. Great as a topping on or on their own.
These gluten-free cookies are a keto dieters dream. With just 1 gram of net carbs per 2-cookie serving, Fat Snax's keto-friendly cookies are made from a mixture of almond flour and the Fat Snax “healthy fats blend” of butter, sustainable organic palm fruit oil, almond butter and coconut oil, and are sweetened with erythritol, stevia and monk fruit.
These gluten-free cookies are a keto dieters dream. With just 1 gram of net carbs per 2-cookie serving, Fat Snax's keto-friendly cookies are made from a mixture of almond flour and the Fat Snax “healthy fats blend” of butter, sustainable organic palm fruit oil, almond butter and coconut oil, and are sweetened with erythritol, stevia and monk fruit.
U.S. consumers don’t have to follow sports to appreciate the welcome feeling of normalcy offered by a little Sunday afternoon football on TV. Just the fact that these kind of events are still going on in this crazy world right now is enough to comfort consumers amid these uncertain times.
What else can make them feel like the world is still on track? Yes, that’s right: appetizers. Americans love their chips and dips, their finger foods, their tailgate-worthy game day treats. But while people still want their proverbial (and literal) pigs in blankets, growing concerns about health and wellness can mean giving those guilt-inducing unhealthy game day snacks a hard pass. Instead, consumers are choosing better-for-you options for the big win.
Check out the 20 foods and beverages featured in this gallery for a full game day menu of dips and sauces, munchies, finger foods, hot appetizers, drinks and even something sweet for celebrating a big victory.
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