On Sunday a supposed 100 million people will crowd around their televisions to watch the Super Bowl. Think of how much food is going to be consumed. With pregame starting around yesterday, Super Bowl Sunday will drag on for an extended period of time, providing us all with ample time to eat. A perfect storm of sorts. Long exposures to food, conversations with friends, and plenty of distractions. Will you eat more than yo usually do while you watch the game on Sunday? Why
I played football in college but as the years have passed have lost more and more interest. I pay attention to the team I used to coach and look at scores, etc, but I rarely sit and watch a game on a Sunday afternoon. However, I am looking forward to Sunday. We are having a couple of families over, the kids will play, good food will abound, and conversations will be aplenty. Any excuse to rationalize my consumption of copious amounts of guacomole and chips is fine by me.
An article in this morning’s Star Tribune stated that every chicken wing has 72 calories. Put five in your mouth in quick succession and you just consumed 360ish calories. That’s a bit frightening, however, most of us throw calorie counts out the window when in situations such as a Super Bowl gathering. We already know the wings are bad for us, but hey, it’s the Super Bowl! Rather than obsess about calories, let’s play a trick or two on the unsuspecting. If you are hosting a party on Sunday, or any day really, don’t bus the empty bowls, plates, and glasses away when people are done with them. Studies have shown that people do indeed consume less when there is a reminder of how much they have already consumed. Chicken wings are a case in point. Let the bones pile up. Somewhere deep in you guest’s brains a little man will say, “Geeez, look at all those bones, you have already eaten 10 wings, do you really need another?” A slight nudge to say no. People drink less wine when empty bottles are left on the table. (Note: when in Russia, don’t leave an empty bottle of vodka on the table. Bad news. Really. Don’t do it.)
We all want to eat better. Inherently we know what to eat and what not to eat. But Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, so we will all conveniently ignore calories. That’s fine. Rather than count, try and set your environment up to help you not go crazy. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll eat one less wing. Or drink one less beer. Just one. That’s success.
Today is Friday and that means a new Food Rule. Let’s tie it into the big game:
Let the empty plates and bowls and beer bottles pile up during the game. I mean really, do we need to have a clean path to the TV? We’re not going anywhere. Enjoy your company, the game, and the VW dogs barking the “Star Wars” theme. Ask your friend another question. Listen to the answer. The dirty dishes may provide a subtle cue for all of you to knock it off. And wouldn’t that be nice?
