The Dirty Nachos at Bar Fancy in Toronto.Darren Calabrese/The Globe and Mail
As a Toronto Raptors fan, nutritionist Theresa Albert has been glued to the television during this year's playoff run. It's been 14 games of rough and tumble basketball for the young squad, and it's made for compelling entertainment every other day for the past month. As the team prepares for at least another four games against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, Albert is ready to continue her finely tuned pregame ritual: an apple and a boiled egg.
"It actually fills you up," she says, between the pectin in the apple and the protein of the egg. "It gives you a base. It sounds crazy, but it also helps manage the alcohol." That's how Albert helps herself avoid overindulging on alcohol and pub food as she's gotten to know the Boston Pizza near her cottage in Parry Sound. "We're spending a ton of money there," she says.
Like a growing number of Canadians, she is without a cable TV package, and must find alternative ways of getting her Raptors fix. In Parry Sound, Boston Pizza is Albert's only option, and with that comes a dietary game of picking your poison. This year's overachieving Raptors team has presented a unique challenge to Canadians who must watch every second of every game.
In recent history, there have been deep postseason runs in hockey by the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, and by the Toronto Blue Jays last year. But the availability of hockey on CBC makes it infinitely easier to follow along from the comfort of home, while the Blue Jays saw many fan-unfriendly start times during office hours on weekday afternoons. The Raptors, for the most part, have played in primetime or on weekends, and games are only available on specialty sports channels, leaving so-called cord-cutters with little choice, legally speaking, but to hit the sports bar.
For myself, the anticipation of the Raptors facing LeBron James is equalled by the sense of dread brought on by another plate of nachos and pitcher of beer. My local also has a popular half-price wing special three nights of the week; in the time it took Toronto seven games to eliminate the Indiana Pacers in round one, I'd forgotten what a fresh vegetable looked like. I soon found myself scarfing down leftovers from home before tip-offs, rushing to fill my belly with something not deep-fried. Beer – especially when it comes to the Raptors' stress-inducing play to date – is non-negotiable in my mind, despite the growing protests of my gut.
It was comforting to hear from Albert that even a nutritionist has the same dilemma when faced with increasingly unhealthy menu choices at the bar. Consider game nights a "treat day," she says, but you can still plan smartly for it. An apple and boiled egg is only one step of her approach to eating and drinking during the playoffs:
- Eat protein only. “If you’re going to overeat on anything, overeat on protein,” Albert says. At least protein from a chicken or steak dish ¬ but nothing deep-fried like wings – can help build muscle, unlike the empty carbs found in nachos. Protein-rich dips like hummus are good choices that will fill you up as well if they are available.
- Choose your drinks wisely. “I would drink Guinness,” Albert says, citing the B vitamins and iron found in the Irish stout. And stouts and dark beers generally have fewer calories than conventional lagers and ales. “It’s one of those beers that you sip, you don’t quaff,” she says, “and hopefully you’ll drink fewer of them.”
- “Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.” Water will help your body to process the alcohol, as well as offset the salty food you’ve been eating.
Albert says that following this plan will help cut your nightly Raptors calorie count roughly in half. If it will also halve my sense of guilt, then I'm all in. And if all goes well, all those saved calories will be much needed when Toronto – fingers crossed – makes the NBA finals.