Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about football. It’s also about eating and drinking.
After Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the second highest day of food consumption in the U.S., according to the USDA. And it’s no wonder, considering many Super Bowl parties start before the pregame festivities and run well past the postgame commentary.
“There is a lot of mindless eating that goes on,” said Deb Ognar, a registered dietitian with Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute. “People are watching TV [or] talking to friends, and before they know it, they’re by the appetizers and they’ve downed 800 calories.”
Bears fans–glued to the TV to cheer the Bears to a win over the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday–certainly will do their fair share of eating.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the average American consumes about 3,000 calories, Ognar said. That’s just 500 calories shy of the amount needed to gain an entire pound of body weight, and 1,000 more calories than the daily recommended average.
“It ends up being an all-day snacking event instead of eating any really substantial foods,” said Meri Raffetto, a registered dietitian and licensed dietetic nutritionist in Raleigh, N.C.
You don’t have to be the primary receiver of food overload or leave the party feeling as if you were blitzed by the overloaded food and drink table, though.
“You need to have a game plan,” said Dave Grotto, a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association and owner of the Elmhurst-based nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Housecall.
Grotto, who also is a registered dietitian, said people need to give up the idea that they will eat healthy at parties. Unless you’re the host or are bringing a dish to share, it’s hard to avoid the less nutritious choices on the table.
So a strategy is crucial. After surveying the offerings, decide what you really want to eat.
Pick your favorite foods–in moderation, of course–and pair them with healthy choices such as fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich foods that will help keep appetites in the neutral zone. Be mindful of alcohol consumption and other liquid calories that do little to block hunger pangs.
If you’re planning a party, you certainly don’t want to throw a party that guests won’t like. Good food is a key ingredient. But there is room on the table for healthier options such as baked pita chips, hummus and popcorn–along with traditional snacks such as buffalo wings and nachos.
Raffetto, who owns the online weight-loss program Real Living Nutrition, suggests altering recipes to make favorite foods healthier. Baking rather than frying chicken wings is a good idea–and saves about 400 calories. Salsa makes a better dip than cream-based varieties.
Dietitians also suggest substituting lower-fat and reduced-calorie products. More importantly, be aware of what and how much you eat.
“It doesn’t take rocket science or superior intelligence to figure out that there will be a consequence if [you] overeat,” Grotto said.
Still not convinced that an all-day snacking binge isn’t good for the waistline? Consider these stats from Ognar:
– A person would have to play pro football for about 13 minutes to burn off just one chicken drumstick.
– A single M&M doesn’t seem too big, but to burn it off you’re going to have walk the length of a football field.
– To balance the caloric effects of two handfuls of chips and dip, you’ll need to jog the distance of 45 football fields.
“It’s not to be discouraging, but realize that there’s still a cost associated with food,” she said.
So if you don’t feel like doing the Super Bowl Shuffle over and over again to burn off those extra calories, be sure to pace yourself on Sunday. Be mindful of portion sizes and aim to eat more of foods that offer more substance. Fill up on water as opposed to beer.
“It’s important to know that there is a balance here,” Raffetto said. “It’s not that you can’t have chips and dip. It’s just that when you have [everything], you’re adding so much calories and so much fat.”
Watch and burn
Wondering just how much exercise you’ll have to do to lose those Super Bowl Sunday calories? A new book, “The Diet Detective’s Count Down” by nutrition advocate Charles Stuart Platkin, lays out exactly how many minutes you’d have to exercise to burn off more than 7,500 different kinds of foods. Here Platkin gives the exercise equivalents of game-day munchies, based on a person who weighs 155 pounds. The less you weigh, the fewer calories you burn, so the longer you’d have to sweat to burn the calories.
2 handfuls of Chex mix: 30 minutes jumping up and down after your team scores
Handful of Cooler Ranch Doritos: 43 touchdown celebrations.
5 pretzels: 15 minutes looking for your car
Half order of baby-back ribs: 73 minutes of cheerleading
2 slices of stuffed pizza with the works: 197 minutes cleaning a stadium
4 beers: 64 minutes of climbing stadium stairs
Part of a giant Italian sub: 138 1/2 minutes performing in a marching band
2 pieces of fried chicken: Doing the wave 3,220 times
1 bowl of chilli: running 100 football fields
5 Buffalo chicken wings: 102 minutes of refereeing the game
5 WAYS TO INDULGE WITHOUT OVER-DOING IT
1. Rather than stand by the food and mindlessly graze, pick up a plate and fill it with food. If possible, select a smaller-sized plate to help with portion control.
2. Eat before you arrive. It sounds counterintuitive, but dietitians say arriving hungry almost guarantees you’ll overeat.
3. Select a few favorite treats but fill most of the plate with healthy options such as fruits and vegetables that will help you to feel full longer. When possible, select salsa rather than cream-based dips. Beware of casseroles–they’re usually higher in calories and not necessarily the best choice.
4. Try to keep tabs on what and how much you’re eating. It’s easy to get caught up in the game, but don’t eat just to eat. Do it when you’re hungry.
5. Rather than downing beer after beer, drink water. Aside from the calorie savings, water helps to fill you up. [V.V.]
