Super Bowl XLV might be a good or painful memory everywhere except your waistline. This American sports ritual has become a national excuse for indulgence – and indulge we do. Current estimates suggest that Americans spend $50 million on food during the four days prior to game day, including 51.7 million cases of beer; 14,500 tons of chips; and 8 million pounds of guacamole. Domino’s Pizza alone delivers 1.5 million pies that day.
Small wonder, then, that on Super Bowl Monday 6% of working Americans call in sick and antacid sales increase by 20%.
If your Super Bowl celebration led to post-bowl bloat, it’s time to get back into the heart-healthy game. Here are a few simple tips for doing so:
• Switch to lean meats and poultry (pork chops, turkey, chicken, sirloin) and prepare them without their skins. Grill, bake or broil instead of frying … and use spices, not fats or trans-fats, to bring out the flavor.
• Switch to fat-free, 1%, or low-fat dairy products. You’ll be surprised how quickly your taste buds adapt.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, and corn syrups).
• Cut back on sodium. Salt-free seasonings are delicious and available everywhere.
• Select frozen foods over canned foods. If you need to use up those canned vegetables, drain and rinse them well before preparing.
• Get smart about label reading. Products “free” of a harmful nutrient are the best possible choices; “very low” or “low” contain more of the nutrient; and “reduced” products contain only 25% less of the harmful nutrient than the standard version of the product.
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