Healthy Eating At The Ballpark

Taking the kids to watch the local professional team is always a fun and memorable day. But what should you buy your child to eat that is healthier?

Hot dog or pretzel? well, a hot dog with bun has about 280 calories including the mustard. It is high in fat but it does provide protein.

A pretzel has about 500 calories and is full of processed flour. So lots of calories and that is pretty much it.

Surprised, that a hot dog won out over the pretzel? I was, but there you go, a little knowledge can go a long way in helping reduce the amount of calories your child could eat during one ballgame.

To be fair, if your child is active everyday, eats healthy meaning about five servings of fruits and vegetables on most days than the occasional out of balance meal is not going to hurt. But most kids, unfortunately, are not in this category so it's best to know which foods are really high in calories and then limit to one.

Hot dogs, chips and a soda adds up to a lot of calories. So ask them to pick one. It will help your pocketbook also.

Don't buy the pretzel and hot dog. Ouch...That is almost 900 calories.

Another idea is have a cook out before the big game. Tailgating is fun and creates special memories for the family. Plus, you can sneak in those healthy treats and they won't be hungry during the game!