Game day dining tricks

Image courtesy of platoputas.com

Okay, I think I’ve gotten all of the hooting and hollering out of my system. It’s time to face the reality of what happens when I watch the Canucks play.

Whether I’m watching the game out at a pub or at home, I invariably end up stuffing my face with an unhealthy assortment of food, like pizza, nachos, M & Ms and the like. I do put out veggie and fruit plates too when I have people over, but it probably only ends up comprising a tenth of what I end up consuming that night.

With the Canucks set to play at least three more games in the run to the Stanley Cup, I figure it’s time to get the game day noshing under some semblance of control.

For that, I’m turning to Alyssa Bauman of Nourished Health Consulting Firm. I can’t promise to follow everything that she’s recommending, but some is better than none.

Q. Why do we crave salt and fat when we’re watching the game? Is it to balance all of the adrenaline racing through our veins?

A. We crave salt and fat for different reasons. Cravings are our body’s way of saying “Hey,  pay attention to me. I am out of balance here. Something is missing.” So when the cravings arise, stop for a minute, have a large glass of water and think about what your body is trying to tell you. Are you tired, run down, angry, nervous or upset?

Cravings for salty foods is often an indication of a mineral deficiency in your body. Examine your diet. What is it missing? Deprivation does not work. So if you are still having the craving, indulge.  But make sure to eat that food consciously, chewing it slowly and thoroughly enjoying it. This way you will eat less and enjoy more. It’s a win win.

Q. How can I limit the sugar, salt and fat content without sacrificing flavour?

A. There are lots of healthier alternatives out there. For salt cravings, I love popchips. They have all the flavour and crunch of regular potato chips, but only 100 calories and less than half the fat per serving. They are popped, not baked or fried so you can have a whole serving without the guilt. 

Dipping them into hummus, bean dips, guacamole and salsa are great ways to add power nutrients into your snacking habits. Not to mention these dips are loaded with flavour and fiber, keeping you satisfied longer.

(There are also lean meat and veggie skewer type options. Alyssa didn’t really say much about sugar here, but I guess if I’ve already filled up on these other snacks, I won’t have as much room for the sweet stuff.)

Q. People are so distracted by the game they often don’t pay attention to how much they’re eating. What can we do about portion control, without being considered stingy hosts?

A. When I am hosting, I always like to stagger my food. I don’t fill the whole table with different foods and choices. I do courses with my snacks. Once the first course is finished, I clear it away and will wait a good half hour until I serve my next snack. That way my guests don’t just eat to eat. I know I’m not being stingy because my guests always leave full, yet  happy they haven’t overeaten or loaded up on junk food. They actually thank me for it.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Pinching those pennies

I don’t think – wait, I KNOW I’m not cheap. (I may meticulously check over a restaurant bill or a grocery bill, but that’s just to look for errors, and I never have any problem with tipping generously for good service.)

I think the more accurate way to describe me is a “strategic scrimp and splurger.” Never heard of it? Let me explain.

An SSS is someone who always checks out the bin at the grocery store with the dented tins and slightly bruised fruit, to see if there’s anything worth picking up. That way, when it comes time to buy a $200 pair of boots, there’s more room in the budget. Even the seeming extravagance of the footwear purchase makes sense in the long run, since a good quality pair of shoes or boots will last longer. I’ve had some pairs last 15 years or more.

The reason an SSS watches the groceries being rung through like a hawk is because of the Scanner Code of Practce, which is in effect at most major retailers.

This, in brief, is how the federal Competition Bureau explains the SCOP:

“If the scanned price of a non-price ticketed item* is higher than the shelf price or any other displayed price, the customer is entitled to receive the item free, up to a $10 maximum.”

*non-price ticketed item = something with a barcode

Basically, try and keep a running ticker in your mind of what the listed price for something is; if it scans incorrectly, ie higher, at the register, you can get it free or a $10 credit. Pretty cool, right?

An SSS is also technologically savvy, to save both time and money. For instance, I’ve been using the “Call phone” feature in Gmail for months now (it’s free for calls North America wide, whereas Skype charges several cents per minute of usage, no matter where the destination.)

I use it both at home to avoid long distance charges, and on the road to avoid using up my daytime minutes on my cell phone. Essentially, I have a tiny Bluetooth earpiece that I hook up to my netbook, which I then hook up to anyone broadcasting free wireless. (You could just speak directly into the webcam feature on your computing device, but in a loud area background sound could overshadow your call.)

The earpiece was about $30, which is about 120 minutes of talk time on my cell phone plan — a couple of conference calls alone can easily chew up that much time, and this way I’m truly mobile. Spend once on the device, lots of savings over the long term. Win – win – win.

Contrary to the advice often given out by credit counsellors and financial experts, I also try and put absolutely everything on to my credit card.

It may seem counterintuitive, even a temptation to regularly go on shopping sprees, but I like to put everything on to a credit card because it collects most of my expenses into one central area. These days, credit card companies often provide spend analysis reports (for free), so that I can see where I’m blowing most of my dollars, ie eating out, shopping, or entertainment, and adjust accordingly. So rather than encouraging wild spending, it actually curbs impulse spending because I can see every day how much I’ve spent (if I log in every day, which I usually do to monitor potentially fraudulent activity.)

Concentrating my spending onto a credit card also allows me to maximize the reward benefits from using the card, whether it be cash back or rewards points. That adds up pretty quickly.

I’m certainly not saying this will work for everyone out there, but it’s been working for me so far. I’ll try and think of other SSS tips to share  in the coming days.