The Game Day Challenge – 4 ways to eat delicious-healthy food during Sunday game days

Greenville Kidney Doctor and popular YouTube sensation, Dr Blake Shusterman, has kicked off a new campaign to transform game day snacking and our taste buds too

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES, November 30, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Game Day Challenge – 4 ways to eat delicious-healthy food during Sunday game days

Greenville-based Kidney Doctor and popular YouTube sensation, Dr Blake Shusterman, has kicked off a new campaign to transform game day snacking — and our taste buds too.

With football season in full swing, whether it’s a Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, most are glued to the TV, cheering on (or yelling at) their favorite team. While rooting for them and sporting team’s gear is part of the fun, there’s another add-on of football season that goes hand-in-hand with watching the game: game-day food.

Sitting down and indulging in delicious foods is all part of what makes game days a fan favorite. While inhaling tons of unhealthier foods like chips and deep-fried wings is viewed as the norm, there are actually healthier alternatives to these game-day snacks that remain true to their original versions. Dr. Blake’s Game Day Challenge is about saving game day buffets everywhere from the red zone.

Better known as The Cooking Doc^®, the passionate home cook is all about making small changes and simple healthy swaps that add up to a big difference.

“Seeing family and friends and eating together is a big part of what makes game days so much fun. It’s not about taking that away – it’s about the little things we can do to make sure our bodies are healthy and ready to enjoy game days for many years to come,” explains Dr Blake.

The Game Day Challenge is made up of four parts: Make it, bring it, sip it, and watch it.

Make it

“One of the healthiest habits you can cultivate is learning to cook, ” Dr Blake says. “That way, you can see and control exactly what goes into your food”.

With just one tablespoon of prepared buffalo sauce containing around 20% of the daily salt intake, skipping the trip to the store and making a homemade version is a kidney and heart–healthy way to enjoy game day.

“Healthy doesn’t mean missing out on flavor,” The Cooking Doc^® insists. “My recipes use ingredients like citrus, herbs, nutritional yeast, and spices to create delicious alternatives that everyone will enjoy”.

Dr. Blake’s Baked Peri Peri Chicken Wings are just one of many tailgate snacks that blend the spices and flavors people crave on game day. It’s the easiest snack to prepare and take along knowing it’s a healthier choice.

If a friend is bringing the wings, try making Spicy Baked Chicken Taquitos for the crew. This low-calorie snack is packed with herbs and spices that will make cooking at home enjoyable.

Choosing cooking methods like air frying rather than deep frying can also transform game day buffets into a healthy-eating touchdown.

Bring it

When you’re not hosting game day, it’s much harder to know how much salt or fat may be hiding in the snack lineup.

Dr Blake’s simple trick to take back control and win points is BYOD: Bring Your Own Dish/Dip.

Dr. Blake’s Vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Dip with Lime Cilantro Relish is the dip that has been missing from tailgate food lineups. Not only is it packed with cheesy goodness and a spicy kick, but it’s a lower calorie option that provides a source for vegetables.

“No one is going to prioritize your health like you,” he explains “so bring a dish wherever you go. Use the flavor swaps we’re sharing to make it the best dish at the party – even without the extra salt, sugar, and fat”.

Sip it

When it comes to looking after our bodies, knowing what we eat matters, but it’s also about what we drink.

With the typical 12-ounce can of soda containing the equivalent of 7-10 teaspoons of sugar, drinking soda regularly can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart and kidney disease, according to the CDC.

Switching to carbonated water or creating a mocktail is a quick and easy way to cut the sugar and health impact of game day.

Watch it

The game isn’t the only thing to keep an eye on according to Dr Blake; it’s also how much you’re eating.

“One of the easiest, simplest ways to really cut down on the sugar and salt is to limit your portions,” says Dr Blake.

“That doesn’t mean missing out, it means avoiding auto-pilot eating just because there are bowls of chips and dips in front of you”.

To help visualize the amount being eaten, Dr Blake recommends putting a normal portion of food and snacks on one plate, and eating just that plate throughout the afternoon rather than grazing.

Find out more about the Game Day Challenge along with recipes for healthy swaps, like buffalo wings or bean dips, on The Cooking Doc^® website, or head over to The Cooking Doc^® YouTube page for step-by-step guides on taking control of your health with home cooking.

Dani Wilkinson
Bodhi and Co.
+1 864-230-9495
[email protected]
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