Staying Healthy on Super Bowl Sunday

According to the USDA, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest eating holiday in the U.S., coming in right behind Thanksgiving in terms of calorie intake. The Calorie Control Council reports that Americans consume about 2,400 calories and 121 grams of fat during the 5-hour game – more than what many of us should eat in a single day! While your party favorites may seem reasonable when eaten on their own, moderate consumption of foods such as chicken wings, pizza, nachos, and beer, can quickly add up. To get a better picture of this, the table below shows how much physical activity you would need to complete in order to burn off each of your Super Bowl favorites:

 

[table width =”100%” style =”” responsive =”false”] [table_head] [th_column]Food[/th_column] [th_column]Serving Size[/th_column] [th_column]Calories[/th_column] [th_column]Physical Activity 150 lbs.[/th_column] [th_column]Physical Activity 125 lbs.[/th_column] [/table_head] [table_body] [table_row] [row_column]Chips and Queso[/row_column] [row_column]10 chips w/ 2 Tbsp. Queso[/row_column] [row_column]180[/row_column] [row_column]30 min of power yoga[/row_column] [row_column]36 min of power yoga[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Chicken Wings[/row_column] [row_column]1 mini drumstick[/row_column] [row_column]78[/row_column] [row_column]17 min of Pilates[/row_column] [row_column]21 min of Pilates[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Pizza[/row_column] [row_column]1 slice of 14’ pizza[/row_column] [row_column]290[/row_column] [row_column]23 min of spinning[/row_column] [row_column]27 min of spinning[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Buffalo Chicken Dip[/row_column] [row_column]1/3 cup[/row_column] [row_column]200[/row_column] [row_column]31 minutes of walking 3.5 mph[/row_column] [row_column]37 minutes of walking 3.5 mph[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Pigs in a Blanket[/row_column] [row_column]1 each[/row_column] [row_column]82[/row_column] [row_column]20 min of crunches[/row_column] [row_column]23 min of crunches[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Cheeseburger Slider[/row_column] [row_column]1 slider[/row_column] [row_column]250[/row_column] [row_column]56 min of yard work[/row_column] [row_column]67 min of yard work[/row_column] [/table_row] [table_row] [row_column]Beer[/row_column] [row_column]12 oz. can/bottle[/row_column] [row_column]155[/row_column] [row_column]19 min of Zumba[/row_column] [row_column]23 min of Zumba[/row_column] [/table_row] [/table_body] [/table]

 

Thankfully there are things you can do to prevent overindulging on game-day. The first is to eat a healthy meal or snack before the game, like a grilled chicken salad or a cup of Greek yogurt. Eating before the game will prevent that hunger-craze that often causes us to gravitate towards unhealthy options.

Another strategy is to drink water continuously throughout the game. According to research findings from the American Chemical Society, people on a low calorie diet who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that meal. Over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake.

And I can’t forget to share one of my favorite party-time tips: that is, wear a belt! Chances are you will be able to “feel it” when you’ve had enough to eat.

While these tips may help curb your hunger, the most important strategy is to make sure you have healthy options available for when hunger finally strikes.

Be sure to try out these recipes featured in “The Beauty Diet”:

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Stack

White Bean “Hummus” with Vegetables

Abby Galyon contributed to this article

RECIPES: