Healthy tailgating
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Grilled corn is a tasty and healthy alternative to add to your next tailgating gathering. Vegetable trays are another good pick
Jana Milam spends much of her time as a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer convincing people to eat healthier.
Milam acknowledges that's not easy to do when it comes to one of Mississippi's favorite pastimes - football tailgating.
Those pregame and postgame gatherings can be diet busters of the highest order.
"When you think of tailgating, you think of fat meats, sausages, chips, dip, cookies and lots of beer," said Milam, who works at the Baptist Nutrition Center in Jackson."Tailgating, like parties and holidays, can be real challenging (to a nutritious diet)."
Kevin Clearman knows the feeling. Clearman is a Sumrall native who enjoys football tailgating at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
A nurse practitioner by trade, Clearman acknowledges it's not always easy to watch what you eat on those relaxing autumn Saturdays.
The menu before a recent USM home game at Roberts Stadium included ribs, chicken, brisket, pasta salad, jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon, brownies, cookies and cake.
Yes, those tasty peppers weren't the only thing stuffed after all that food was devoured.
Still, Clearman has noticed a difference as people in his tailgating crew make a conscious effort to eat healthier.
"We've had more fruit for dessert," Clearman said. "We take an ice chest. I notice people would consume more water and diet soft drinks. Those would be gone and the regular Coke would still be in the cooler when we got home. You still have the cookies, the brownies and the banana pudding.
"I talk to people every day about trying to make healthier (eating) choices. I'm not saying it's a full-force change (for tailgating), but there are some different options."
Calvin Younger is a Yazoo City native who has been tailgating at Jackson State University football games for the better part of a decade.
Like Clearman, Younger knows those Saturday afternoon get-togethers outside Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium that sometimes include 100 or more folks don't lend themselves to healthy eating. Still, he tries to provide options like smoked chicken to a menu with tailgating staples like ribs, fried chicken and french fries.
"We offered the smoked chicken for those who don't want to eat fried food," said Younger, the assistant child nutrition director for Madison County schools. "But the fellowship and the social aspect is the biggest part of tailgating. Healthy choices are not always going to happen out there, especially when you think about something like trying to keep a salad out in the sun.
"The atmosphere with the smoke in the air and all that - that's what you're used to seeing for black people and tailgating."
Milam knows tailgaters are reluctant to break familiar traditions, but she suggests there are healthier options football fans can pursue and still enjoy the festivities.
"The good things are that people can bring grills and grill chicken breasts or chicken strips or extra-lean pork, beef or turkey," Milam said. "It's easy to do fruit trays or vegetable trays with the low-fat dip.
"If you're going to drink, which obviously a lot of people do when they tailgate, go for the low-carb light beers. Have plenty of water on hand to rotate with the beer. Drinking alcohol can make you more relaxed, but it can make you hungry, too. Like they say: The line at the fast-food restaurant is always longest after the bars close."
Like with everything else, moderation is the key to enjoying a healthy tailgate.
"It's always something people are interested in when the ball games start up," Milam said. "If you eat moderately at a tailgating party - say as much as you would at a regular dinner meal - then you can incorporate it into a healthy eating plan.
"But it's like eating birthday cake. You wouldn't want to blow it by doing it all of the time. Eventually that kind of eating will take a toll on you."
