Simple swaps save calories in popular Super Bowl snacks

Super Bowl Sunday has become much more than a football game. It is practically an American holiday. According to DietDetective.com, it is the the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving.

Charles Platkin, public health advocate and editor of DietDetective.com, offers these equivalents to limit the calories in some popular snacks.

Instead of store-bought (and likely fried) pita chips and creamy artichoke dip, swap out whole wheat pita pieces and salsa. It is lower in fat and higher in anti-oxidants.

Trade stuffed cheesy bread for a spritz of butter and a dash of Parmesan cheese on whole wheat.

If you must have pizza, go for a thin crust. Save even more by ordering a pie without the cheese and topping it with shaken-on Parmesan.

Make your own burgers using white meat turkey or leaner ground beef options. Lean ground beef and lots of veggies can jazz up chili or Sloppy Joes.

Save calories and fat by making your own chicken wings, gumbo or ribs. You can choose leaner cuts of meat and season smart. Limit the sugar and bake rather than fry.   

If you must have an air-puffed snack, choose popcorn over cheese puffs. Butter spray or a dash of garlic salt adds plenty of flavor.

The nuts and chocolate in trail mix might seem like a healthy choice, but they are very high in calories, so don’t eat the whole bowl.

Wash it all down with flavored water, seltzer or diet sodas to save up to 100 calories per drink. Even beer has ultra-light options. Beck's Premier Light and MGD Light are only 64 calories per 12-ounce bottle. Michelob Ultra and Natural Light have 95, or you can go very low with Budweiser Select for 55.