The message you’ve been waiting for: This RDN speaks up about the Super Bowl and food.
Although the Super Bowl is the ultimate American tradition, the food spread often steals the spotlight. From chips and dip to wings and pizza, there’s no shortage of tasty goodness.

If you’re someone who’s working on creating a healthier relationship with food, you might be feeling a bit conflicted. Is it possible to enjoy the Super Bowl while still keeping your health journey in mind?
If you know me at all as an RDN, you know my answer…ABSOLUTELY.
My favorite reminder to share is that it is not about the food, but about the experience. “Getting your money’s worth.” takes on a whole new meaning when we think about the experience vs. “not wasting” the food.
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating focuses on listening to your body’s cues—hunger, fullness, and satisfaction—rather than following external rules or trends about food. It encourages eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full, and eating the foods that feel good for your body. It’s about trusting your internal signals.
However, I like to convey to patients that intuitive eating can be a challenging skill to master, for there are many external triggers in play on a daily basis that can affect our true appetite: stress, fatigue, anxiety, just to name a few.

So how does this fit in with a day like Super Bowl Sunday, where the food is often abundant?
1. Trust Yourself to Enjoy the Foods You Love
There is no good or bad food, it’s about how we USE the food. Super Bowl food is meant to be enjoyed! Whether it’s nachos, pizza, or chicken wings, these foods can be part of a balanced lifestyle. By allowing yourself to have what you want, you avoid the temptation to overeat later because you’ve been denying yourself all day.
Think of what the food is providing to nourish the body- does it have protein? Fat? Carbohydrates (the brain’s primary source of fuel is glucose) play a key role in our energy metabolism.
As RDNs, we educate. We don’t serve as fearmonger.
2. Eat Mindfully– BE PRESENT
Mindful eating—paying full attention to the experience of eating—can be especially helpful during the Super Bowl. Instead of mindlessly reaching for another handful of chips while you’re engrossed in the game, try to slow down and savor each bite. How does the food taste? Is it satisfying? Are you still hungry, or do you feel full?
Mindful eating helps prevent overeating, as it allows you to check in with your body and recognize when you’re actually satisfied, not just physically, but emotionally as well. It also helps you to stay connected to your hunger cues, which can sometimes get lost in the excitement of the event.
Mindful eating only works when you are present. Bring yourself back to the present moment and taste the food.
3. Honor Your Hunger
Super Bowl snacks are often served in abundance. Are you really hungry? Or are you eating out of habit or boredom?
You don’t need to eat just because the food is there. On the flip side, if you’re genuinely hungry, honor that feeling. Your body is telling you it needs fuel, so listen to it. This isn’t about restriction—it’s about responding to your body’s needs.
4. Balance the Spread
There’s room for egg rolls AND carrots, there’s room for cookies AND fruit. When you build a spread that includes a variety of foods, you’ll naturally feel more satisfied and less likely to overindulge. And remember, balance doesn’t mean perfection—it just means avoiding excessive behaviors when it comes to food.
If you feel like having a few extra servings of guacamole or that second slice of pizza, that’s okay! But when you include nutrient-dense options, you might find that you feel fuller and more energized throughout the game. Your digestive system will agree as well in a crowded party!
5. Let Go of the Guilt
Eating is meant to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, not a source of stress. So, if you indulge in a few extra snacks, or if your choices are more about comfort than nutrition, that’s okay. Give yourself permission to live, just make sure like anything in life, you create balance.
Guilt only adds emotional weight to food choices, which can interfere with your ability to trust your body’s cues.
The Super Bowl is a time to enjoy the company of friends and family, celebrate your favorite teams, and, yes, eat some delicious food.
6. Move Your Body in a Way That Feels Good
Our body has daily movement needs. Creating a lifestyle full of mindfulness also means moving your body in ways that feel good for you—as an RDN and a fitness professional, I feel very passionate about this topic: We DO NOT use activity to purge calories. We do not use movement for punishment. We do not use exercise to “burn off food”. We do not need to “earn our food”, we are not pets.
We use movement to celebrate what our bodies can do!
7. Remember the Big Picture
Super Bowl Sunday is just one day. Eating an extra serving of chips, a few more wings than usual, or a slice of cake isn’t going to affect a balanced lifestyle. We recommend practicing the 80/20 rule- 80% of the time, follow along with choices that nourish your body, 20% of the time, ENJOY (within reason)!
Intuitive eating is about creating a balanced, sustainable approach to eating over time, not obsessing over every individual meal or snack.

Therefore….
Super Bowl Sunday is about more than food; it’s about celebrating with those around you. So eat, laugh, cheer, and remember: You’re in charge of your choices—and your body will thank you for treating it with respect.
Happy Super Bowl! 🏈🍕
