Super Bowl Foods That Won't 'Spike' Your Blood Pressure

The Super Bowl is more than just another televised football game. It's one of the most revered and widely watched annual events in American sports culture. For a few hours, millions of people gather to cheer, boo, laugh, talk, and — perhaps most important of all — eat.

Unfortunately, plenty of go-to game day snacks and foods tend to be less than nutritious. In one sitting, you could wind up eating hundreds (or thousands) of calories. Plus, you might just wind up sending your blood pressure soaring. (Which is just one of the ways that watching the Super Bowl could affect your heart.) That's not good, especially if you're concerned about your cardiovascular health.

This doesn't mean you have to pass on all the Super Bowl foods you're offered, though. There are quite a few foods that won't spike your blood pressure. Knowing what they are ahead of time can help you achieve your healthy living goals.

To map out your personal upcoming Super Bowl celebration eating game plan, let's look at some of the top nutrients that are known to help lower blood pressure. Lower-fat foods that are  low in sodium and high in potassium, fiber, and calcium tend to be heart-friendly. With this in mind, you can start considering which items on your Super Bowl spread belong on your plate.

Potassium rushes sodium out of the body, which helps regulate and reduce blood pressure. A 2020 review in the Journal of the American Heart Association examined the results of 32 clinical trials on the potassium-blood pressure link. According to the researchers, consuming moderate levels of potassium was observed to cause a measurable drop in blood pressure levels, though the exact potassium dosage to produce those effects was uncertain. Still, its findings support eating potassium-filled foods. Some high-potassium contenders include celery, carrots, cauliflower, red bell pepper, and plain yogurt. In other words, you might want to dive into the veggie tray that your neighbor brought to the party. (Be sure to make a healthy yogurt-based dip, like a two-ingredient buffalo dip.)

Fiber is another nutrient that's kind to your blood pressure. A 2023 article in Hypertension notes that for every 5 grams of fiber a person eats above the recommended daily value for their gender, they can reduce both systolic and diastolic readings by between two and three points. So, where can you find fiber in a typical Super Bowl spread? You should be able to boost your fiber intake by eating fiber-filled chickpeas and avocados, which you'd find in dips like hummus and guacamole. (Bonus points if you choose low-salt, high-fiber tortilla chips.)

Calcium is yet another high-quality nutrient you may want to look for on your Super Bowl party menu or shop for if you're hosting the festivities at your home. A 2022 review of 18 clinical trials in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews observed a slight but noticeable cardioprotective relationship between calcium supplementation and blood pressure readings in individuals with otherwise normal blood pressure levels.

Unsurprisingly, dairy products such as cheese and yogurt are on the list of foods that are high in calcium, but they're not the only way to get this nutrient. Other calcium options include corn tortillas, reduced-fat sour cream, and pinto beans, which could be used to create easy and delicious quesadillas. Combine a few of those foods with the others mentioned, and you could have a pretty healthy and heart-supporting Super Bowl snacking experience. Of course, you need to exercise moderation and portion control. You should also be careful not to let your stress levels negate your better food choices by causing a temporary rise in blood pressure if your team doesn't become the next Super Bowl champs.