Today marks the season opening for Major League Baseball 2014. And whether your team belongs to the National League or the American League, nothing says baseball like a bag of peanuts or cracker jack, and a cold beer. Or whatever is stadium food to your region.

During the 1990’s while I was a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (now known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), we did a media campaign on making better food choices at the baseball game. And it was really amazing the variety of items and the differences from one ballpark to the next: in Baltimore you could find crab cakes; in Houston barbeque was on the menu; in Miami, Cuban rice and beans.

But let’s get real. No one goes to the game for the food……..but you could! To stay on track with your health goals the usual rules still apply whether you are tailgating before or eating in between innings:

• Go lean like chicken or fish.
• Check out all your options first.
• Consider splitting a high calorie sandwich or snack.
• Mixed drinks and beer can drive up your calorie score pretty quickly. Grab a bottled water instead.
• Eat a light lunch at home before an afternoon game.
• Take advantage of the 7th inning stretch to stretch you legs and take a walk. Working some deliberate movement into your day is one way to compensate for the additional calories you just ate or drank.

With 86 home games, this will be a long ride to the play-offs. So be sure to root for your home team. Even if they don’t win you still can by keeping your eye on your health.