There’s something about watching football that just screams out for junk food. Chips, wings, pizza – as long it’s greasy, it goes with the game. But if you’re trying to stay fit this fall, you can’t just pig out in front of the tube.

Here are a few easy-to-make ideas for healthy football snacks from Dr. Margaret Lewin, Medical Director of Cinergy Health:

• Toasted pumpkin seeds – Check out this recipe at Epicurious
  and add your favorite seasoning (see readers reviews for variations).
• Seasoned nuts such as Black Pepper Almonds ? sweet and spicy; check out a recipe here.
• Veggies – cut up raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, celery, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower and add some healthy dips such as:
  • Muhammara – a Middle Eastern dip with roasted red peppers, garlic, cumin and pomegranate molasses ? Epicurious has a good recipe.
  • Guacamole
  • Bottled salsa
  • Smoky Chipotle Hummus – check out this recipe.
  • You can also bake your own low-fat chips for any of the dips listed above.
• Portobello Bruschetta – these take a bit more time to prepare, but fly off the plate when you entertain. Recipe is here.

If you’re up for something sweet, try:

• You can make your own sports bars with dried fruit and peanut butter. To make it even healthier try using brown rice syrup rather than corn syrup (see readers? reviews for variations).

• Maple pecan popcorn – try using less salt, a healthy brand of microwave popcorn and heart-healthy margarine and mixed unsalted nuts.

See – it’s not so hard to be healthy while watching football. Now put down the chips and start cooking!