It's Baseball Season!

When I think of baseball season in Seattle I see Ichiro, Griffey, fresh cut grass, kids in baseball caps and a giant pile of garlic fries or “rally fries” as the locals like to say. Add to that a few beers and a jumbo hot dog and baseball season is officially underway!

Watching the game with your friends and family is something that I encourage you to do, and with the lineup with have this year, the Mariners might just have a shot at a winning season! But you may want to pack more than a blanket and a glove, because there are plenty of savory meals waiting to tempt you at Safeco. (As you can see behind me in the picture, I went for the light beer...)

1) Hot Dogs
Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch to and from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., the two sites of the 2008 World Series. (Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council)

In 1893 a local German bar owner - and also the owner of the St. Louis Browns MLB team - came up with the idea to sell these easy-to-eat hot dogs in baseball stadiums. The popularity and ease of this meal makes it a fan favorite from Wrigley to Safeco. Hot dogs are made using a variety of different animal proteins (pork, beef, and poultry) most often from a process called “Advanced Meat Recovery” or “Mechanically Separated Meat.” The USDA does regulate the labeling that goes along with these processes and all meats and meat byproducts (heart, kidney, liver, etc) must be listed on the ingredient label.

The average hot dog contains: 250 calories, 14 grams fat, 770 mg sodium, 21 grams carbohydrate and 9 grams of protein.

2) Safeco Field Garlic Fries
The infamous garlic fries of Safeco Field come from a little stand called “Grounders” which is actually owned by Ivar’s. ESPN’s senior writer Jim Caple gave Safeco Field concessions a “5+++” out of 5 in the rankings of 30 stadiums across the country, noting the Garlic Fries as the signature concession item. In 2006 there were 183,000 orders placed for these smelly potatoes.

French Fries are deep fat fried potatoes (you knew they came from potatoes right?). Most companies used to use trans-fat oils to fry in but with the change of most cities regulations, restaurants have had to find alternative oils to fry in. Most choosing coconut or palm oil. But coconut and palm if you recall are both sources of saturated fat, which leads us right back to where we started. Neither are necessarily “good” for someone struggling with high cholesterol; however any avoidance of trans-fat is a good thing for anyone.

A serving of Garlic Fries provides: 455 calories, 43 grams fat, 2322 mg sodium, 77 grams carbohydrates and 9 grams of protein.

3) Beer
Beer and baseball games seem to go hand in hand in people’s minds. It’s important to understand what alcohol does to your metabolism so that you can make informed decisions like “Do I really need the Jumbo Hot Dog, Garlic Fries AND the Pyramid Hefeweizen?” Probably not.

In your body there is one organ that owns alcohol metabolism and that is the Liver. Tap your side and say thank you every once and a while. The problem is that the liver is kind of the “dummy” organ because it really only likes to do one task at a time. Unfortunately another major job responsibility for the Liver is Fat Metabolism. There is a priority list, and toxins (which include alcohol) always take top priority. That means that whenever there is alcohol in your system your liver has to stop metabolizing fat and start metabolizing the toxin. This is why it’s rare that people can drink while trying to lose weight. It just makes it that much harder.

The average regular beer such as the Safeco favorite, Pyramid Hefeweizen (12 oz) contains: 145 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams sodium, 11 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams protein.

Some better choices at Safeco:

· “The Natural” at Section 132 is an organic vendor that sells everything from garden burgers and veggie-dogs to hummus platters, vegan soups, fruit smoothies and offers allergen-free foods as well.

· “Rice n Roll” at section 136 offers miso Soup edamame and brown rice sushi upon request.

· “Thai Ginger and Intentional Wok” at Section 133 has veggie stir fry and other Asian-infused dishes that a few “sauce on the side” requests can help.

· Ordering “light” beer over “regular beer” can save you 50 calories a pop.

· Always bring a backup option like a favorite protein bar or a bag of peanut butter pretzels just in case you are a little hungrier than you thought. You can bring sealed food items into Safeco.

Now get out there and support your local sports team this weekend! And remember that you can still enjoy your food, even if you’re being more conscience about your decisions.

Blessings,

Ashley