It's baseball season again, which means it's time to storm the stadium and embrace the lifestyle: snacks, drinks — the whole shebang. But before you dive headfirst into a sea of butter and salt, we're here to help you have a great time at the ballgame without feeling like you ruined your wellness streak. We visited Coors Field in Denver to bring you the healthiest food options and other small ways to stave off the postgame slump.
Hydration Is Your Friend
Is there anything better than gulping down water on a hot and sunny day? Maybe a few things, but there's something seriously primal and satisfying about it. By paying a visit to our old friend H20, you can help stave off dehydration headaches (which can happen when enjoying salty food and beer) and quench your food cravings. Sometimes stomachs can trick us into thinking we're hungry when we really just need more water.
Pro tip: Coors Field and a lot of other baseball stadiums let you bring in an empty water bottle that you can fill up for free at water fountains.
Save Yourself From the Sun
Prolonged exposure to the sun is another ballpark bugaboo, and for good reason. It's bad for your skin, hard on your body and has a unique way of sucking the energy out of you. So make sure to bring your hat and sunscreen to block out harmful rays — you don't want your only souvenir to be bright red sunburn.
Step up Your Game at the Game
Just because you're a spectator doesn't mean you have to completely turn off your own athleticism. Stadiums are a great place to get in some light cardio by walking around and people-watching. If you're at Coors Field, push yourself to jog up and down the stairway to the Rockpile section a few times — it's 38 steps each way! Think of it like this: One lap around the stadium gives you about 1,200 steps, which could slowly help you work off a frosty brew. And that brings us to our final point...
Snack and Sip Like a Stadium Pro
Alright, we all know that ballparks aren't known for their health-conscious food and drink options, but that's not why people go to a ballgame. After exploring and asking a few questions around Coors Field, we dug up a few surprising tips to eat, drink and be merry, all while staying within your daily caloric intake.
- A Better Kind of Ballpark Dog: Hot dogs and baseball go together like peanut butter and jelly. Out of all the hot dog and sausage options we saw at the game, the polish sausage clocked in with the lowest calorie count at a mere 390! This option saves you anywhere from 100-300 calories compared to other styles of ballpark dog. Which means more room for a cold one, right?
- Lemonade Can Be Deceptive: Maybe you're thinking, “I'll grab a lemonade as the healthy and low-cal option.” Sorry, but it's not quite that simple. A regular-sized domestic draft beer has less calories (180) than a regular-sized lemonade (220) — not to mention sugar content. So the next time life gives you lemons, think twice before deciding on the lemonade.
- Other Healthy(ish) Options: If eating hot dogs isn't your thing, you won't be left out in left field. We found a few other light, yet tasty options for your mid-game hankering:
- Chicken Sandwich: There are a couple different options at Coors Field for a protein that clucks instead of oinks or moos. CHUBurger serves its tasty version at 550 calories, and a gluten-friendly stand advertised one at 440 calories.
- Build Your Own Salad: Want to leaf carbs behind? We found a couple different custom salad stands at the ballpark. Unsurprisingly, the calories range from 140-880 depending on your toppings. But here's a tip: Infield Greens offers a couple extra, premium toppings like avocado, tofu and sunflower seeds.
- Taco Trio: This is sort of the hidden gem of the bunch because it takes a little extra digging to find. You have to head up to the mezzanine level and go to the “Captain's Deck.” There you'll find a convenient little taco cart where dreams come true. That is, if your dream is to grab a chicken taco trio with the same number of calories as CHUBurger's Chicken Sandwich (550).
So there you have it! The next time you're at Coors Field (or any other baseball stadium), just remember these tips to feel better once the final inning is over. Most importantly, have fun, cheer loudly and have a great gameday.
