Football season is back and so are fan-favorite dishes

Dressed in team colors, fans flock to this bar to watch games on one of their more than 20 flat screen TVs and eat from a kitchen that serves until closing. But with 25-cent hot wings and daily domestic beer specials, fans are packing on calories.

Bartender Carla Pampinella said guests are absolutely not choosing heart healthy meals when they arrive to watch the game. Last Sunday she served only one salad and two chicken sandwiches; one sandwich was fried.

“We have a variety of healthy choices here,” she said, but nearly everyone orders wings and beer.

Celery is the only healthy food fans eat on game day, added Willy Randolph. This vegetable automatically comes with the wings. “Since I was a kid, hot wings and football have gone together,” he added. Randolph is an East Meadow resident and bartender at The Shoppe in Hicksville. He said he always serves fried chicken and a cracker platter.

“But just because it’s football season doesn’t mean you have to pack on the pounds and put your heart at risk,” states an American Heart Association, AHA, press release.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both American men and women, according to the Center for Disease Control. Nearly 26 percent of African Americans and 28 percent of Caucasians will die from heart disease each year.

A few games per year may not increase an individual’s risk for heart disease, but diet plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol, LDL, is a major, controllable risk for heart disease and occurs in people who are obese and those who maintain a balanced weight.

According to the AHA, “When too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and the brain.” This buildup narrows the heart arteries and makes them less flexible. This increases the risk for heart disease and stroke.

Additionally, uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure and nearly one-third don’t know they have it, states the AHA. High blood pressure is considered a “silent killer” because many people live for years without a diagnosis.

However, there are options to keep tailgating heart healthy.

The AHA suggests fans choose sides in moderation, create a colorful plate with lots of fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water and only eat when hungry.

Here are three additional AHA heart healthy tips.

Lean mean is best, but turkey burgers and salmon burgers are two additional healthy options. Grilled chicken is also better than fried chicken and whole-wheat buns are better than white-bread buns.

Vegetables are healthier than chips and fries, but dips can also be packed with calories. Choose salsa or a bean dip rather than cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise-based dips.

Drink alcohol in moderation. “If you do get a beer at the game, try one with the least amount of calories and carbohydrates.” Light beer and Guinness often have the fewest calories and clear liquors have fewer calories than beer. The AHA recommends no more than one or two alcoholic drinks for men and one per day for women.