January 23, 2023

The Ultimate Super Bowl Recipes (That You Won’t Regret the Next Day)

Originally posted on askdrnandi.com

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest party days of the year, and whether you are a football fan or not, you are likely to attend one. On average, there are 17 people at a Super Bowl Party, and only 5% of the TV audience watches the game alone. We all know what that means. The real superstar of the day is the food.

Super Bowl Sunday is America’s second-highest food consumption day, next to Thanksgiving, in the United States. Last year almost 140 million pounds of avocados and 8 million pounds of tortilla chips were served across the country. Along with a staggering 52 million cases of beer.

Antacid sales in 7-Eleven stores increased by 20% in the 24 hours following the game. On Monday, approximately 6% of American workers will call in sick.

Surprised?

The Real MVP During Super Bowl

According to research from the Calorie Control Council and the Snack Food Association, armchair quarterbacks consume 30 million pounds of snack food on Super Bowl Sunday.

From potato chips, nachos, pretzels, and popcorn alone, the average spectator will consume 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat. Then there’s the pizza, chicken wings, chili, and booze that are standard party fare.

While millions of people watch NFL players in the Super Bowl, the real MVPs on Sunday will be chicken wings—over 1 billion will be consumed before, during, and after the game.

A small order with at least 10 wings contains an estimated 1,650 calories per wing. Each wing contains around 14g of fat, 5.4g of saturated fat, a half gram of trans fat, nearly 40 mg of cholesterol, and 284 mg of sodium.

It’s no surprise that a Big Game food binge will provide you with enough calories to last you a few days.

What’s less obvious are the terrifying effects your favorite party foods can have on your health.

Repercussions of Unhealthy Super Bowl Snacks

It takes years of a high-fat diet—fast food, full-fat dairy, and lots of red meat—to build up the type of plaque that would cause a heart attack, stroke, or aneurysm. However, a single day of eating fatty foods is enough to change the way your arteries function.

Downing a big meal requires the heart to pump more blood to the stomach and intestines to aid digestion. While the chances of a plate of wings or a couple of slices of pizza causing a heart attack or stroke are extremely low, people with pre-existing cardiac conditions should be cautious.

According to a study of 38 adults that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, they all had a temporary decrease in artery dilation three to five hours after eating a 900-calorie fast food meal containing 50g of fat. Artery dilation is the widening that occurs when the volume of blood inside the vessel increases.

Aside from hangovers, heartburn and indigestion are major causes of work absences, which may explain the rising antacid sales the day after the Super Bowl. Although heartburn is more of a nuisance than a health risk, it can be triggered by fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated drinks, and lying down after eating.

When you overfill your stomach, food rises and pushes through the flap between the stomach and the esophagus. This allows stomach acid to enter the esophagus. Some foods, such as wings, burgers, creamy dressings, and high-fat potato chips can also loosen the flap and cause acid reflux. Combining these foods with alcohol contributes to that physical occurrence as well.

Super Bowl Recipes for Guiltless Snacks

Most unhealthy food, including processed and packaged food, is pumped with sugar, fat, and salt. The amount is more than what people usually add when cooking at home.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled four recipes to help you eat your favorite Super Bowl snacks in a healthier and more nutritious way.

A study in Food Science and Human Wellness also revealed that garlic promotes the growth of friendly bacteria (bifidobacteria, specifically) in the gut and prevents disease-promoting bacteria from growing.

It’s important to know that garlic will start to lose its prebiotic benefits the more you cook it (and raw is best for gut health), so try rubbing it on toast or adding it to guacamole or salad dressing instead of cooking it.

Learn more about the amazing health benefits of garlic.

Recipe #1 Quick & Easy Super Bowl Garlic Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf of Italian or French bread
3 tablespoons of Spice World Minced Garlic
⅔ cups olive oil
Pinch of salt
Fresh or dried parsley for topping, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
Mix olive oil and Spice World Minced Garlic in a bowl.
Slice the bread in half widthwise, then lengthwise with one of the halves.
Spread the mixture evenly on the bread and bake for about 5-8 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the inside and outside crust.
When cool enough to handle, sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Recipe #2 Quick and Easy Onion Dip

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups of Spice World Easy Onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

In a pan add oil, heat, and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the onions.
Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

Recipe #3 Simple Ginger Chili Wings

Ingredients

Cooking spray
5 pounds of chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour

For the glaze

3 teaspoons of Spice World Minced Garlic
2 teaspoons of Spice World Minced Ginger
1 tablespoon of Asian chili pepper sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, salt and pepper, hot sauce, and olive oil.
In a large, food-safe plastic bag, combine the flour and wings. Close the bag tightly and shake to completely coat the wings in flour; no wet spots should remain.
Arrange the wings on the prepared baking sheets, making sure that none of the pieces touch. Spray the wings with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven, then turn all the wings over and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, or until crispy (165 degrees C).
In a saucepan, combine the Spice World Minced Garlic, Spice World Minced Ginger, chili paste, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine about half of the wings. Half of the sauce should be poured over the wings. Toss the wings with tongs to coat evenly; set aside for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to soak into the wings before serving. Repeat with the rest of the wings and sauce.

Recipe #4 Artichoke Spinach & Garlic Dip

Ingredients

4 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons of Spice World Minced Garlic
10 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed and drained of moisture
10-ounce jar of marinated artichoke quarters, drained and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese, and Spice World Minced Garlic.
Make sure to press out all of the excess water from your spinach using a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel. Add the spinach and chopped artichoke hearts to the cheese mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a small baking dish and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown, 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe #5 Post Super Bowl Hangover Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup coconut water
½ cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
1 banana, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of Spice World Minced Ginger
1 cup ice (optional)

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender’s cup.
Blend until the mixture is smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Serve in a tall glass right away.

By adding simple ingredients like garlic and ginger to your dishes along with spinach and artichokes you can elevate your Super Bowl food staples without risking your health and maybe avoid that post-Super Bowl Pepcid run.

Make sure to stock up on Spice World Minced Garlic & Ginger. Spice World makes it convenient and easy to add these powerhouse nutrients to your dishes without the hassle.