Superbowl Sunday is the 2nd largest eating event of the year (Thanksgiving is the 1st). To give you an example of just how quickly all of this can add up – imagine a typical Super Bowl party. Over a three to four hour game, you devour four slices of pepperoni pizza (1135 calories), guzzle a beer (150 calories), finish off six chicken wings (400 calories), and then grab a couple dozen tortilla chips to dip in some queso or salsa (600 calories). The total for just that short time is 2,285 calories!
SuperBowl Eating Stats
- Most people will eat one to two days’ worth of calories. (1,200 to 4,000 calories)
- We eat more than 46 million pounds of Hass avocados on this single day. That’s enough to fill a stadium football field (end zone to end zone) nearly 18-feet deep in avocados!
- We’ll drink 240 million dollars worth of soda.
- We’ll snack on 11 million pounds of potato chips, 8 million pounds of tortilla chips, 2.5 million pounds of nuts, and 4 million pounds of both pretzels AND popcorn.
- More pizza will be consumed on this day than on any other day of the year.
If you don’t have the calorie budget of an NFL lineman, you might consider:
- Using a plate to eat, and eating while sitting. Eating like this forces us to be more mindful of what (and how much) we are putting in our mouths. When you snag a chicken wing on the way to the beer cooler or you mindlessly shovel in chips and dip while talking to a friend – you have no idea how much you have consumed over that 5 hour football game!
- Bring some quote on quote “safe” foods: If you need something to keep your mouth busy, do it with something like veggies. Sugar snap peas, jicama, and bell pepper strips are all good options for dipping and crunching on.
Popcorn is another good idea because it is filling and it takes a long time to eat. Gum or mints is another great “mouth occupier”.
3) Position yourself carefully: research clearly tells us that those who sit closer to the food will ultimately consume more food.
4) Bring low calorie drinks to consume instead of alcohol. Not only will you consume less calories, but you will feel better the next day. Skip the dehydration that comes with having one too many celebratory beverages!
In the end, let’s be realistic. Five hours of TV + tons of appetizing snacks + maybe some alcohol = eating more than a typical Sunday night’s dinner. One night of overdoing it doesn’t undo a life filled with healthy habits and intentions. Enjoy what sounds good! Let your stomach lead the way. And, if the night didn’t go per your “healthy” plan – let it go.
Want more plant-based SuperBowl Snacks? Check out our Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe!
Vegetarian Black Bean Totchos
Ingredients
- 1, 32 oz. package tater tots
- 1, 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 c. shredded cheese
- 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 c. pico de gallo or salsa
- 1/3 c. sliced black olives
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare tater tots according to package.
- Once tots are done cooking, remove from oven (but keep oven on) and top with black beans and cheese. Pop back in the oven until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with plain yogurt, pico de gallo, olives and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 227
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 585.9 mg
- Fat: 5.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 8.2 g
- Protein: 12.6 g
- Cholesterol: 11.1 mg