Score a touchdown with low-carb snacks

By Joseph Gidjunis, Knight Ridder News Service

link to article

Barbecue wings, five-alarm chili, nachos grande, loaded potato skins, fried anything, dips, chips and cheese galore. Regardless of the last-second touchdowns and wild commercials, no Super Bowl party is complete without dozens of snacks.

Some dieters -- especially carb counters on Atkins or the South Beach Diet -- may fret over a day filled with persistent snacking. If you are throwing a party for the big game, consider your guests' dietary restrictions and offer tasty alternatives.

It may be hard to imagine low-carb chili, bread and dips on one of the top five chip-selling days of the year, but there are hundreds of healthy alternatives to every type of food.

Some Web sites offer more traditional fan favorites. The Snack Food Association (http:// www.sfa.org) and Suite101.com offer dozens of Super Bowl-worthy recipes like Nacho Nose-Guard Bites, Championship Chip Cookies and Football Fajitas.

But if you are looking for alternatives, Atkins.com offers recipes for chili and dips, and supermarket chain Wegmans lists four pages of low-carb and better-carb foods on its Web site.

To feed hungry low-carb dieters, stick with foods like natural whole-grain breads, sugar-free gelatins, cheese, cold cuts, light popcorn, fruit and all cuts of lean meat. In fact, chili, barbecue pork ribs and buffalo-style (unbreaded) chicken wings are OK in moderation.

But a word of warning: Just because a snack is deemed "healthier" doesn't mean you should eat more of it.

And don't forget to wash it all down with a light or low-carb beer or the no-carb, no-calorie choice: water.

Atkins Super Chili Bowl
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno chiles
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese Heat broiler.

In a 9- or 10-inch oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add onion; cook until golden, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and jalapenos; cook 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant. Add salt, red pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and ground beef to skillet. Cook until browned, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain excess liquid from pan. Add tomatoes, and bring to a boil.

Sprinkle cheese over top. Place 5 inches from heating element, and broil just until melted, about 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: Carbohydrates: 11 g; Net Carbs: 7 g; Fiber: 4 g; Protein: 59 g; Fat: 37.5 g; Calories: 622

For alternative snack ideas:
www.atkins.com
www.sfa.org
www.suite101.com
www.wegmans.com