Let's go Mets!" cheered my 78-year-old grandma as we walked through the torrent of rowdy Sox fans at Fenway, lucky to be at game one of the World Series. My eyes shot at her like lightning - we were there to watch the game, not to get mobbed for being inhabitants of NYC.
"NAWT in this stadium, lady!" retorted a huge, bearded, beer-guzzling fan, clothed entirely in Sox apparel. The abnormally large hotdog in his hand was also fully dressed - with toppings, that is. I scanned the crowd, realizing that he wasn't the only one with a big wad of typical baseball grub.
"Your next column should be about what to eat at Fenway!" shouted Grandma, reading my mind. I guess not everything is absurd that comes out of her mouth.
During such a rare and substantial moment in history, I think it's fitting to mention hot dogs, cheeseburgers, sausages, nachos, fried dough, French fries, pizza, and ice cream. Believe me, my mind really was on the game - especially when St. Louis tied it up in the seventh inning. It's just that I am always astounded by the quantity and quality of unhealthy food at games.
Each choice seemed worse than the next. They don't even have something as basic as fruit. I never understood why I couldn't buy a simple apple or orange at a baseball game. It's just as "juicy" as nachos, hot dogs, or candy bars, but without the high saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
A single "Fenway Frank," has 170 calories, 140 of which are from fat, not including the bread. And as for daily needs, the Fenway Frank provides 24 percent of the fat, 36 percent of the saturated fat, 10 percent of the cholesterol, and 24 percent of the sodium.
With the knowledge about the risk of obesity, heart disease, and even colon cancer, meatless dogs are now offered at a handful of the nation's baseball parks and arenas, but not at Fenway, where the four dollar Frank still holds the lead.
I don't expect to find grilled Chilean sea bass or tofu stir fry at a baseball game, (though there is a sushi stand at Yankee stadium). But the choices at events like this always seem to be limited to the same junk because Americans were conditioned since the time they're kids to eat hotdogs at a game, or lollipops at amusement parks.
People don't want grilled chicken over a Mediterranean salad with fresh fruit or yogurt when Yawkey Way food vendors are selling Italian sausage, "Monster Dogs" and Philly cheese steaks!
If it comes down to it, and you're at Fenway feeling a little hungry, what should you eat without reeking havoc upon your health? Sad to say, but peanuts are probably the only real good thing to eat there - and part of a healthy diet for the heart.
But out of all the actual meal choices, pizza would most likely be the best because even though it is high in sodium, the cheese is high in calcium and protein, and the tomato sauce is high in lycopene (a phytochemical thought to help ward off heart disease by preventing oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol).
Behind home plate, Legal Seafood offers clam chowder, but the fans say that, "all the clams jumped out!" So much for all of the protein and minerals you would have received in the clams.
Big choices to make - Polish sausage or a seven dollar cup of imported Irish beer? If you are drinking alcohol and haven't eaten anything, eating even a Fenway Frank is better than not putting anything into your stomach. You want to be able to watch the game, not puke all over the fans in front of you.
Personally, I would stick with the pizza and then ... "buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks!" Well, maybe not the crackerjacks. But you can buy me some peanuts because they are not only fun to crack, but also more satisfying for longer periods of time due to the high protein content.
Peanuts are good sources of vitamin E, niacin, folate and magnesium and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) affirmed a health claim that peanuts and other nuts may reduce the risk of heart disease when consumed daily in small amounts.
I'll pass on the crackerjacks, a caramel coated popcorn and peanut snack that is full of sugar, corn syrup and soybean oil - all contributors to heart disease. How ironic that peanuts and cracker jacks are paired up in the song!
Next time I hear another Tufts student complain about the food here, I might lock him up in Fenway for five hours and see how his stomach likes it. It's outrageously expensive to eat, and don't try to sneak food and drinks into the ballpark like we do into the library because they really catch you! Security snagged my poor grandma's little ZipLoc bag of carrots (as if she didn't have enough to complain about already!).
My suggestion is to eat something healthy beforehand, especially with protein to hold you over. This way, you can put your four dollars toward a bottle of water!
