This weekend begins the Husker football season and if you’re not careful, you could easily make a dietary fumble! You want to keep that tight-end don’t you? Here are some tips I can handoff to you, whether you’re cooking at home or bumming a burger down by the stadium.

Here’s the skinny on your favorite football foods:

• 1 Regular Runza= 500 calories
• 1 hot dog (120 calories ) + 1 bun (110 calories) + ketchup and mustard = 250 calories
• 1 hot wing = depending on brand can range from 50-100 calories
• Burgers = depends on the size of the burger and fat content of the meat but probably 200-300 calories per patty and another 100 for the bun
• 1 slice of processed cheese = 100 calories
• Pizza = 1 slice can range from 180-240 calories (in the pizza)
• Individual slice of pizza you buy at the game = looking at 350-400 calories if not more
• Cheese in a box OR CAN is not cheese – 85 calories for 1 oz (the small loaf is 16 oz and the large loaf is 32 ounces) 1 oz looks like 2 Nine Volt Batteries
• Tortilla Chips – 1oz- 140 calories  (13 chips = 1 oz) (Bite size = 24 chips)
• Baked beans = .5 cup = 140 calories
• Macaroni salads = ranges from 150-300 calories depending on how it’s prepared
• 7 Layer Bean Dip = 150 calories – couple Tablespoons (depends on your serving size)

If you are like Ron Swanson you might like to wrap things in bacon…

• 1 slice bacon = 40-50 calories
• Peppers stuffed with cream cheese = 120 calories

Condiments:

• 1 package of Ketchup = 15-20 calories
• 2 Tablespoons ranch dressing = 140 calories
• 2 Tablespoons BBQ = 60-70 calories

Beverages

Most people don’t wash down those nachos with a glass of water. The majority of calories on game day come from beverages!

• A drink = 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 oz of liquor, or 5 oz of wine
• 1 light beer about 110 calories
• 1 Regular beer ranges anywhere from 150-200 calories depending on the brand
• 1.5 oz= whisky, vodka, gin, rum = 100 calories
• 5oz Wine= ranges from 100-125 calories
• Pop= typically 100 calories in 8 ounces
• Red Bull= about 100 calories in a small (8oz)

Average Joe Typical Game Day Diet:

Before the game:

1 cheeseburger

1 hot dog with ketchup

side of baked beans

Side BBQ sauce

2 beers

(400-500 + 250 + 140 + 60 + 300 = 1250)

At the game:

1 slice pizza

1 bottle Soda (20 oz bottle)

(350 + 250 = 600)

After the game:

Plate of Nachos (3 servings of chips + 3 oz processed cheese)

7 layer bean dip

6 wings

2 beers

(420 + 255 + 150+ 450 + 300 = 1575)

Total Calories = About 3400 calories!

This is being generous considering our friend only had 4 beers, and didn’t eat that much during the game, nor did he have any trail-mix, candy, cookies, brownies. So by the time you add in a couple handful of peanuts and a few brownies, the grand total could be increased to 4,000 calories OR MORE!

Imagine if you were at home during the game and you ate these same foods BUT you had access to more food & beverages DURING the game, you could easily consume closer to 7,000 calories-no problem. Which over time, could add up to several pounds over the course of the football season.

Here are some dietary offensive plays you can make on game day to avoid a huge dietary fumble!

1. Kick the cans. Beverages are one of the easiest ways to rack up calories whether it’s from pop, sugared beverages or beer. Either limit your intake or don’t consume beverages with calories at all. Ways to do this include obviously drinking water, switching to diet soda or “light” beverages, or having iced tea with lemon on tap.

2. Pass on the dips or extras like the pasta salad, ranch dressing, or 7 layer dip. If you indulge- stick to just 1 hamburger or 1 hot dog without the side dishes unless of course there are veggies around. If there are veggies, make half your plate veggies!

3. Snap out of mindless eating! Mindless eating often occurs when sitting in front of the TV or celebrating with friends! Learn to pace yourself and never leave a bag of potato chips open in front of you. Keep the food in the kitchen so you have to be intentional about going to grab it!