Healthier big game snacking options

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FRESNO, Calif., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- For those who are still trying to follow through on New Year's resolutions or looking for healthier Super Bowl snacks, a chef and dietitians have suggestions.

Healthy chef Kathleen Daelemans, author of "Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen," and registered dietitians Keri Glassman, author of "The O Diet," and Alyse Levine, diet and nutrition contributor for LiveStrong.com, offer tips on how to score great substitutions for favorite party fare that are still easy, delicious and healthy.

Instead of wings and blue cheese dressing, a smarter substitution is shrimp and cocktail sauce. Calories for shrimp and cocktail sauce are less than 140, while chicken wings and blue cheese dressing are nearly 420, Daelemans suggests.

Instead of munching on potato chips, choose lightly salted pistachios. Although the two snacks have the same amount of calories, pistachios provide 6g of protein vs. 2g per serving of potato chips -- about eight potato chips -- and pistachios provide 3g of the daily value for fiber per serving vs. 1g in potato chips.

Pistachios are also packed with copper and manganese as well as anti-oxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin.

Traditional spinach and artichoke dip is laden with high-calorie ingredients like sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese, but white bean dip uses garlic, lemon juice, scallions, pistachios and coriander seed for its flavoring. Serve up whole wheat crackers or cut-up vegetables.