November 2, 2012 | 3 minute read

Cast Your Ballot for Healthy Snacks

If you’re hosting an election night party or just planning to stay up until all the results are in, you’ll need snacks that sustain, refresh and soothe.

Here are some tasty, cancer-protective recipes full of phytochemicals that won’t break your calorie budget. And – depending on your crowd’s electoral preferences – can be appropriately color themed.

The Inside Scoop on Blues and Reds

Both reds and blues have one thing in common: they’re packed with phytochemicals well-studied in the lab for their cancer-fighting properties. Anthocyanins and resveratrol give blueberries, eggplants, and grapes their color.

Tomatoes, peppers and your other red (and reddish) foods also likely contain carotenoids, a group that includes beta-carotene and lycopene.

Campaign for Party Crunch

Americans may be in for a long night of poll results. If you’ll need something for nervous munching, try these snacks that put a healthy twist on chips and fries.

Choose your color and just pop them in the oven before the polls close:

Red Apple Chips – These cinnamony, sweet chips take awhile, but are definitely worth the effort.

Blue Potato Fries – Substitute blue potatoes for the sweet potatoes in this recipe.

Independents Can Chip In

Are you hosting some independents or third party supporters? No problem – these chips win everyone’s vote.

Think you don’t like kale? You’ll change your position after eating these.

Green Kickin’ Kale Chips

For the Blues

Once returns start coming in, it’s time for something a bit more substantial. Try this main course salad that takes a stand for cancer prevention with antioxidant rich blueberries.

Add more blue by substituting blue cheese for the feta.

Blue and White Salad

For the Reds

Make your statement with these rich red beets and sweet apples that combine for a delicious and stunning presentation.

The acorn squash packs a lot of fiber, and foods containing fiber lower risk for colorectal cancer. That’s something we can all support.

Acorn Squash with Beet and Apple Chutney

The Reds: A Party Platter

Serve up health-promoting carotenoids and flavonoids with a platter full of cherry tomatoes, sliced red peppers and radishes. Non-starchy vegetables like these can lower risk for mouth, esophageal and stomach cancers.

Pair with this quick and easy red dip.

Tomato and Red Pepper Dip

The Blues: A Sweet Fruit Bowl

Win or lose, you’ll need something sweet. Create a blue platter with sliced plums, blue seedless grapes and blueberries ready for dipping in dark chocolate. And fruits lower risk for oral, esophageal, lung and stomach cancers – so everyone wins.

Chocolate Dip with Fruit

An All-American Ending

Celebrate our great democracy with a healthy bipartisan ending: A Red, White and Blue Yogurt Parfait.

Layer Greek Yogurt with anthocyanin-rich blueberries, and strawberries or raspberries, both packed with cancer-fighting ellagic acid. This refreshing and soothing dessert (or breakfast) is a perfect ending (or beginning) to your day.

More About Colors in Your Food

Whatever your color theme on election night, go for a variety of fruits and vegetables to get the most cancer protective compounds.

AICR’s Foods that Fight Cancer

Health-e-Recipes: Sign up for our favorite weekly recipes

Phytochemicals: The Cancer Fighters in Your Food