Today is Super Bowl Sunday, a day when people typically consume plenty of junk food while watching the big game. However, there are plenty of ways to make your Super Bowl snacks better for you.

Community Health Services registered dietician Kerby Sylvester explains some ways to make your Super Bowl snacking healthier include setting out nutritious items like fruits and vegetables, snacking in moderation and stopping when you feel full, or eating a small, healthy snack before heading to the Super Bowl party as this can help you in not feeling overly hungry and therefore reduce the amount of junk food you consume. Sylvester adds using a plate is also a helpful tool.

"Use a plate instead of picking at snacks directly from the buffet can help ensure that we're getting foods from all different food groups and can help gauge how much we're eating to prevent against that feeling of being overly full. And then when we choose a small or a medium sized plate we always want to fill it with veggies first to ensure that we fill up on some of those nutritious foods while still enjoying some of our other favourites."

She adds there are also plenty of ways to modify favourite dishes to make them more health conscious.

"One simple trick is to reduce the fat content of your appetiser or snacks by switching from whole fat to lower fat versions when using things like milk or cheese or mayonnaise. If you are making creamier dips and the recipe does call for sour cream or mayonnaise you can always substitute that with plain Greek yogurt for a little bit of added protein but less fat."

She notes you could even opt for bean dips for the same creamy texture but with added nutrients. Sylvester says things like chicken wings and nachos can be switched out for mini meatballs made with lean ground beef and homemade guacamole served with whole grain tortilla chips.

You can find more healthy recipe ideas at dieticians.ca.