According to statistics, Super Bowl Sunday is more than just a sporting event—it trails only Thanksgiving as America’s biggest food feast. So what’s wrong with a little overindulgence? Read on…

Putting on the Feed Bag

Every year on a Sunday in February, almost half the population of the United States gathers in groups around their TV sets to watch the Super Bowl—130 million people did it in 2005. As they watch, they eat. And eat. According to the Snack Food Association of America, during the Super Bowl Americans will scarf down roughly 30 million pounds of snack food—double the nation’s average daily consumption—including 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn, 2.5 million pounds of nuts, and 13.2 million pounds of avocados (for guacamole).

Here are some more fascinating Super Bowl food facts:

• Americans spend $50 million on Super Bowl snacks, but that pales next to the $237 million spent on soft drinks.
• What’s the most popular item sold in food stores on Super Bowl Sunday—beer? Wrong. It’s pizza. In fact, Pizza Hut  claims that it sells more pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year.
• During the Super Bowl an average fan might easily pig out on more than 3,000 calories of snack food and beer. (And that’s not taking into account calories consumed with pregame snacks and a postgame dinner and dessert.) A plate of nachos contains around 1,400 calories. A dozen chicken wings with blue-cheese dip adds another 1,000. A 180-pound man would have to jog 18 miles in three hours to burn off all those calories.
• Want to hedge your bet on who will win next year’s Super Bowl? Each year before the game, the California Avocado Commission whips up guacamole recipes reflecting the competing teams (for instance, the entry for the Seattle Seahawks had shrimp as an ingredient) and holds a “taste-off” to see which is best. The winner of the “C.A.C. AvoBowl” has always won the Super Bowl.