3 Super Bowl snack swaps that cut the salt

The Super Bowl is around the corner, which means it’s snack time. Since the new government guidelines suggest Americans cut their daily sodium intake to about one teaspoon— and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 9 out of 10 adults eat too much of the salty stuff— it’s time to rethink your favorite game day noshing.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines recommend choosing low-sodium versions of products, sticking to fresh vegetables without added sauces and cooking at home to control the sodium content of your meals. They also advise Americans to start flavoring their foods with herbs and spices instead of salt.

But can you really enjoy all the big game snacks without going over the limit?

Culinary expert and Bravo’s “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons teamed up with spice and seasonings leader McCormick & Company to share some of her favorite low-salt recipe swaps that won’t leave you feeling guilty the next day.
According to the Snack Food Association, Americans will eat about 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips while watching the Super Bowl. And with a single serving (seven chips) of original Tostitos clocking in 115mg of sodium, plus dollops of your favorite salt-laden cheese dips, the sodium total can add up quickly.

“Tortilla chips have a ton of salt, so get a reduced sodium tortilla chip,” Simmons told FoxNews.com. “But you can also make a much healthier salsa, which is a black bean and avocado salsa. [It] has orange juice and cumin [and] you can add paprika or cayenne. It’s fresh, it’s delicious and you know that it’s packed with flavor.”
A typical quesadilla stuffed with meat and cheese has more than half your recommended daily allowance of sodium. On top of the sky-high fat content from fried or sautéed meats, a vegetarian version is a much better option for your heart and overall health, Simmons said.

“The easy and cheesy quesadilla is packed with veggies; you still have the Monterey jack in there and you can serve it with salsa or pico de gallo. There’s vegetable seasoning in it and you can add things like thyme or basil; you can add cilantro in there– lots of flavor, none of the salt,” Simmons added.
According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will chow down on roughly 1 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday.

“I have a weakness for chicken wings, but chicken wings sometimes have 1,700 milligrams of salt in them per serving alone. So I’ve made a version that’s a buffalo-style roasted cauliflower with all that buffalo flavor and way less salt,” Simmons said.

You can also serve this meatless rendition with Simmons’ low-fat cheese dip made with fat-free Greek yogurt to cut back on high calorie and fat counts too.