How to Tailgate Without Getting Fat

No matter your favorite sport, there's likely to be a tailgate celebration to kick off each game. Tailgating -- an outdoor party combining food and fandom, typically held in the parking area of college or pro sports arenas -- is not just a celebration of sports, but of good food. Unfortunately, often those eats (and drinks) run on the side of excess: meats, cheeses, fried foods and beer. Here's how to lighten up that next parking-lot party without going soft, and some cool gear for grilling and chilling, too.

Better chips and dips: This is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to slim down your party food because leaner substitutions for those crunchy-meets-creamy snacks are both tasty and easy. Not all lighter foods are created equal, but baked potato and tortilla chips tend to pack a lot of crunch without sacrificing taste. For fuller flavor, choose lower fat over fat-free dips, sour cream and dressings. A veggie tray packed with carrots, pepper slices, broccoli and bite-sized tomatoes served with tasty low-fat dips will disappear just as quickly as heftier fare. Try adding spices like dried onion or garlic to low-fat sour cream or mixing low-fat ranch dressing with salsa.
Instead of: potato chips and fatty French onion dip, or fried tortilla chips and store-bought guacamole.
Try: Guacamole and baked chips, hummus and pita chips, or a meatless seven-layer dip using just a thin layer of guac and low-fat sour cream.

Go lean or meatless: One easy way to cut out a hefty portion of fat without sacrificing too much flavor is to skip the dogs and sausages and choose leaner meats instead. Shish kebabs are easy to prepare and pack ahead of time for grilling. Try some veggie kebabs or shrimp and chicken instead of beef. Foods that go well when skewered include: bell pepper, sweet onion, cherry tomatoes and chunks of pineapple.
Instead of: hot dogs, bratwurst or beef burgers.
Try: Lean turkey chili, veggie or turkey dogs and burgers, shish kebabs or chicken fajitas.