Shake up your Super Bowl party for a win-win mix of health and fun

Traditionally, the Super Bowl is a celebration of extremes – the best teams, the fanciest stadiums and fans who sit at home eating the biggest buckets of anything-but-healthy food.

But the NFL is hardly resistant to upending tradition. Players and coaches change teams, teams redesign uniforms and owners rewrite the rules. What if you applied that same spirit of change to creating a better and healthier Super Bowl party experience?

Here's advice from experts on how to do just that.

Understand the scouting report on snacks

As you draw up your game plan for Sunday, keep in mind that you can enjoy both the game and healthy, tasty food at the same time, said Dr. Bethany Agusala, a certified lifestyle medicine physician at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

"Healthy food can be very flavorful and delicious, so you can definitely still enjoy the Super Bowl party," said Agusala, who is an assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern and medical director of its William T. and Gay F. Solomon General Internal Medicine Clinic. "You're not just going to be sitting in the corner eating plain celery sticks, feeling sad."

For example, the avocados in guacamole are full of healthy fats. And bean dip? Recipes vary, of course, but reduced-sodium or no-salt-added chickpeas or northern beans can work. "Beans are a really great health food that we all need to eat more of," Agusala said.

In general, you want to avoid high-sodium foods, such as chips, because sodium can raise blood pressure. One solution is to sub in some unsalted or lightly salted nuts. "I like them roasted because it gives them a bit more flavor," she said.

Another way to do an end run around sodium is to get your crunch from veggies, which get extra points for also providing heart-healthy potassium.

If you're headed to a potluck-style party, pack some healthier options. Agusala likes to bring Buffalo cauliflower wings – battered, then baked in the oven or air fryer and served with Buffalo wing sauce.

Block the open lane to the buffet

"Paying attention to what you're eating and being mindful of it is good," Agusala said. Noticing the flavor and texture of food helps make it more satisfying and helps make you less prone to overeating.

Having a mountain of food within reach of your TV-watching chair encourages the opposite. "If you are parked next to a big bowl of chips, it's really easy to just keep grabbing them as you're watching the game," she said.

So if you're a host, you can do your guests a healthy favor by moving the snacks away from the TV area, Agusala said. Not only will that encourage healthy eating, "it's probably good for your living room, so it doesn't get as messy."

As an individual, you can put your food on a plate – and eat only off your plate. That might help you pause to ask, "Am I really hungry?" before refilling it. If you're not, you can focus on the football game – or the commercials.

Get your backfield, and the rest of you, in motion

Tradition might call for you to put your overstuffed self on an overstuffed couch to watch the game. But "who wants to sit around for four hours straight?" asked Dr. Kelley Pettee Gabriel, associate dean for research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's School of Public Health. "I think you should get up and move a little bit."

One way to do so is to try a few "exercise snacks," said Gabriel, an epidemiologist and exercise physiologist. She described those as bursts of higher-intensity activity – between 30 seconds and five minutes long – that leave you breathing heavily. It might include jumping jacks, burpees or high-knee marching.

Federal physical activity guidelines recommend adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week, or a combination of both. Muscle-strengthening activities are recommended twice a week.

Six "snacks" during the game could give you a half-hour of activity, Gabriel said. "You could do one a quarter and two during halftime," she said.

If you like to watch the Super Bowl halftime show, getting up and dancing would count. If not, you can toss a ball around with guests. Even standing up is better than lying, lounging or sitting all evening, she said.

But if you really want to focus on the game, you could make time for your workout beforehand. "It might be best to plan ahead and get moving before the start time," she said. "Who wants to watch all the commentary leading up to the big game anyway?"

Pass on the big screen?

Nobody says you have to watch the game in front of the TV, Gabriel said. If you have access to the right exercise equipment, and haven't gotten your minutes of movement in already, you can skip the party and watch on your phone or tablet while you work out.

Huddle with your friends

Odds are, your favorite team didn't make it to Sunday's game, and the commercials aren't really enough to keep anybody glued to a seat for hours, Gabriel said. So you can add some movement, and more, to the evening by focusing on the people around you.

"Take the opportunity to get up," she said. "Talk to your guests. Talk to your family."

Social connection is, after all, a key component of health, Agusala said. "Human beings are social creatures," she said. "We need these connections and friendship."

Punt the excess alcohol

Although beer and football might seem as American as apple pie, alcohol can increase the risk for high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, obesity, stroke and more. The American Heart Association recommends that people who drink alcohol do so in moderation. That translates to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.

A party can encourage people to go beyond those limits, Agusala said. So she recommends going into Super Bowl Sunday with a plan. "Set a limit for yourself and try to really stick to that limit."

If you do drink alcohol, drink plenty of water to help you stay hydrated, she said.

Stay in the zone

Yes, getting excited about the game is part of the fun. But don't let the intensity become dangerously stressful. Die-hard sports fans, particularly those with a history of heart disease, can be at higher risk for cardiac events.

Instead of sweating each play, it's OK to relax as you watch the game unfold, Agusala said. "Try to enjoy the positive emotions, but don't get too attached to the negative."

If you're getting worked up, take a few deep breaths or step outside to cool off, she said. "You definitely don't want to try to manage your stress by drinking more alcohol or something like that, or by getting into an argument with your friends."

The idea of not stressing out also applies to how much pressure you put on yourself to follow advice about staying healthy during the game, Agusala said. She tells patients that their goal should be living a healthy lifestyle most of the time.

"It's OK to indulge every once in a while," she said. "And if you decide that the Super Bowl party is where you want to do that, don't beat yourself up about it."