Game-day food is built around fat, salt and cheese, which makes it easy to blow through a whole day's saturated fat in one sitting. The good news: most of it can be changed with small swaps. Here is what each classic is worth, and how to cover the table so there's something for everyone.
The short version
Biggest hits: loaded nachos, fried wings with the skin, cheese pizza and hot dogs. Easy wins: bake or air-fry the wings, build nachos on beans and salsa, go for thin crust with vegetables, and add a big veg and dip platter.
The classics compared
| Food | Serving | Saturated fat | Cholesterol | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken wing, fried, meat and skin | 1 wing (49 g, bone removed) | 2.9 g | 39 mg | 159 |
| Chicken wing, roasted, meat and skin | 3 oz (85 g) | 4.2 g | 120 mg | 216 |
| Chicken breast, roasted, no skin | 3 oz (85 g) | 0.9 g | 72 mg | 140 |
| Nachos with cheese | 1 serving (80 g) | 1.7 g | 2 mg | 274 |
| Nachos with cheese, beans, beef and tomato | 1 serving (222 g) | 5.7 g | 31 mg | 486 |
| Cheese pizza, thin crust, frozen | 1 slice (69 g) | 3.9 g | 14 mg | 181 |
| Cheese pizza, regular crust, frozen | 1 serving (151 g) | 6.5 g | 21 mg | 405 |
| Hot dog (frankfurter) | 1 hot dog (52 g) | 4 g | 40 mg | 151 |
| Beer, regular | 12 fl oz (355 g) | 0 g | 0 mg | 153 |
A half dozen fried wings with skin is around 17 g of saturated fat, more than a day's allowance. Skinless chicken is a different story. The hot dog row is for a standard frankfurter; reduced-fat and poultry versions have much less, so check the label. For party food portion control is half the battle: put a serving on a plate rather than eating from the bowl.
Swaps that keep the party feel
- Wings: bake or air-fry skin-on wings on a rack, or use skinless drumsticks, then toss in hot sauce rather than a butter-based sauce. Serve with a yoghurt-based dip, not ranch.
- Nachos: use baked tortilla chips, a layer of black beans, salsa, peppers and a small amount of strong cheese. Add sliced avocado or guacamole for unsaturated fat.
- Pizza: thin crust, lots of vegetables, half the cheese, and skip pepperoni and sausage.
- Dips: hummus, salsa, bean dip, tzatziki or guacamole instead of cheese or sour-cream dips. See the hummus food check.
- Chilli: a bean chilli made with lean turkey or no meat gives fibre, and you can top it with a small spoon of cheese.
- Sliders and burgers: 93% lean beef, turkey or bean patties, on wholemeal buns.
- Snacks: air-popped popcorn, unsalted nuts, vegetable sticks. See the popcorn food check.
Eating and drinking on the day
- Eat a normal breakfast and lunch so you're not starving by kick-off.
- Make a plate, then step away from the table. You'll eat less than grazing.
- Alternate beer with water, and remember alcohol raises triglycerides. A regular 12 oz beer is about 150 kcal.
- Bring a dish. If you're a guest, bring a veg platter with hummus or a bean chilli.
More ideas in 20 low-cholesterol snacks and eating out and at parties with high cholesterol.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you take cholesterol medication or have a heart condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist.
Sources
- American Heart Association: Saturated fat (aim for under 6% of calories, about 13 g on 2,000 calories).
- NHS: Fat, the facts (saturates: up to 30 g a day for men, 20 g for women).
- NHS: Calculating alcohol units (14 units a week or less).
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), values per serving calculated from the per-100 g record: FDC 173628, 173630, 171477, 170291, 170292, 170373, 170317, 172968, 168746. fdc.nal.usda.gov
Frequently asked questions
Are chicken wings bad for cholesterol?
Fried wings with skin are high in saturated fat: roughly 3 g per wing. Baked or air-fried wings with the skin removed, or skinless chicken pieces, are much lower. The sauce matters too, since butter-based buffalo sauce adds more.
What game-day snack is best for high cholesterol?
Air-popped popcorn, vegetable sticks with hummus or salsa, bean dip, unsalted nuts and baked tortilla chips are all low in saturated fat. Nachos with melted cheese, pizza and cheese dips are the highest.
Is pizza bad for high cholesterol?
Cheese and processed meats make pizza a major source of saturated fat. A slice of thin-crust cheese pizza has about 4 g. Thinner crust, vegetable toppings and less cheese cut it down.
Can I drink beer on game day with high cholesterol?
Beer has no fat or cholesterol, but alcohol can raise triglycerides and adds calories. Keep within the NHS limit of 14 units a week and alternate with water.
What is a heart-healthy dip?
Hummus, salsa, tzatziki, bean dip and guacamole are all lower in saturated fat than cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise-based dips.
Plan the menu in Heart Tracker
Scan or search party foods to see their saturated fat per serving, and log your plate to see how much of your daily target is left.
- Barcode scanner
- LDL & HDL trends
- Voice meal logging
