Basketball players demonstrate physical fitness at its peak. Meanwhile in the stands, out-of-shape fans are gorging on hot dogs, sodas, and other concession food. But if you think that fitness on the courts has to beat out that in the stands, you may be surprised to know that you can bring your family to a game without fouling their arteries. PCRM contacted 29 home arenas of NBA teams in the U.S. and Canada to determine the availability of low-fat and vegetarian foods and ranked them from best to worst. Many arenas made the all-star line-up, offering fans numerous low-fat, high-fiber favorites like bean burritos and veggie burgers. Other arenas didn’t make the cut, with barely a pretzel for those seeking an alternative to artery-clogging hot dogs and fries. The following lists describe the low-fat and vegetarian items available at arena concession stands.

Above the Rim

Orlando Arena (Orlando, Fla.), home of the Orlando Magic, where fans can pick up pasta with marinara sauce, garden salads, hot pretzels, bean burritos, bean tacos, tostadas, veggie fajitas, Mexican pizzas, pinto beans, and baked nacho chips (all prepared without cheese on request).

Rose Garden Arena (Portland, Ore.), home of the Portland Trail Blazers, serving veggie burgers, Pad Thai noodles, somen noodle salads, breadsticks with marinara sauce, Caesar salads (prepared without chicken and dressing on request), fresh fruits, and hot pretzels.

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, Calif.), home of the Los Angeles Clippers, with veggie chili, fresh fruit salads, veggie Cobb salads, steamed rice with carrots and celery sticks, Chinese salads (prepared without chicken on request), baked potatoes (available with broccoli or veggie chili), and hot pretzels.

The remaining top ten arenas were:

• General Motors Place (Vancouver, Canada), home of the Vancouver Grizzlies

• Key Arena (Seattle, Wash.), home of the Seattle SuperSonics

• USAir Arena (Landover, Md.), final season home of the Washington Bullets

• ARCO Arena (Sacramento, Calif.), home of the Sacramento Kings

• Fleet Center (Boston, Mass.), home of the Boston Celtics

• United Center (Chicago, Ill.), home of the Chicago Bulls

• SkyDome (Toronto, Canada), home of the Toronto Raptors

Also Making the Playoffs . . .

. . . were the following arenas with limited, but still good choices, such as veggie burgers and subs, and baked potatoes.

• Miami Arena (Miami, Fla.), home of the Miami Heat

• Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, N.C.), home of the Charlotte Hornets

• America West Arena (Phoenix, Ariz.), home of the Phoenix Suns

• The Palace of Auburn Hills (Auburn Hills, Mich.), home of the Detroit Pistons

• Delta Center (Salt Lake City, Utah), home of the Utah Jazz

• Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), home of the Minnesota Timberwolves

• Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas), home of the San Antonio Spurs

• San Jose Arena (San Jose, Calif.), temporary home for the Golden State Warriors

• Gund Arena (Cleveland, Ohio), home of the Cleveland Cavaliers

• The Summit (Houston, Texas), home of the Houston Rockets

The Cellar Dwellers . . .

. . . left their fans with nothing but hot pretzels for fans hoping to protect their hearts and waistlines. Eating the standard greasy fare of these arenas, over the long run, could land you on injured reserve.

• Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.), home of the New York Knicks

• Great Western Forum (Inglewood, Calif.), home of the Los Angeles Lakers

• Continental Airlines Arena (East Rutherford, N.J.), home of the New Jersey Nets

• The Omni (Atlanta, Ga.), final season home of the Atlanta Hawks

• McNichols Sports Arena (Denver, Colo.), home of the Denver Nuggets

• Reunion Arena (Dallas, Texas), home of the Dallas Mavericks

• Market Square Arena (Indianapolis, Ind.), home of the Indiana Pacers

• Bradley Center (Milwaukee, Wisc.), home of the Milwaukee Bucks

• CoreStates Center (Philadelphia, Pa.), home of the Philadelphia 76ers