Football season is a popular time of the year for Buckeye fans. The weekends are filled with exciting games and tailgate parties. Tailgating can be a fun way to spend time with friends and family while rooting for your favorite team, but can also be a hard time to stick with your personal health goals. Foods brought to gatherings are typically higher in fat and calories than what we are used to which can make it difficult trying to stay on track. Consider these helpful tips to enjoy this tailgating season while still keeping an eye on your goals.

• Offer to organize the tailgate to have more control over the food options. Try planning foods that are rich in fiber, whole grains, and lean protein.
• Avoid hanging around the food tables to prevent grazing. This can help prevent mindless eating.
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast and/or snack before the tailgating party. This will help you to feel fuller and less likely to overeat at the tailgate.
• Be picky! Try picking one or two things that you want and cut back on the other options.
• Offer to bring a healthy side dish. This way you are guaranteed that there will be at least one thing healthy item on the menu.
• Find healthy substitutions to make traditional tailgating foods a little healthier. Switching out sour cream for Greek yogurt in a buffalo chicken dip can be a great way to reduce intake of calories and saturated fat while adding more protein.

For more tips and strategies to making changes during this tailgating season, sign up for the four-week group health coaching series “Touchdown for Wellness” starting on Thursday, October 10 at noon. During this four-week series, we will talk about creating healthy tailgate foods, incorporating more physical activity after the game is over, and ways to manage stress that can often happen during the fall, especially during the big game. Click here to sign up today.