It’s time to kick-off the second biggest food holiday of the year – Super Bowl. Yes, this annual NFL game is more than just an event, it’s considered by most to be a holiday. There’s something in Super Bowl Sunday for everyone, whether you’re the consummate party host, the consumer of game-day food, viewer of the half-time show (this year with Madonna), or you actually want to see the Giants and Patriots make a run for the XLVI title. Then, there is that one thing that almost everyone watches the Super Bowl for, and those are the commercials.

Advertisers are said to have paid an average of $3.5 million for each thirty-second commercial, which is expected to be seen by more than 111 million viewers. Brands from categories for beer, chips, soda, and cars dominate the commercial breaks. However, this year, we were pleased to see some healthier players take the ad field.

That’s why we’ve selected Oikos and Belvita as our favorite 2012 Super Bowl Commercials. Not only are they clever, and funny – a must for any Super Bowl commercial – but they also put front and center a few healthy options that viewers can find at their grocery stores. No doubt, by tomorrow morning, they’ll be wishing they’d eaten more healthful treats at the party.

Oikos Greek Yogurt Super Bowl Commercial

John Stamos appears pronouncing Oikos as “possibly the best Greek yogurt in the world,” a claim they uphold with a 2:1 favor over Chobani in a blind taste test.

Belvita Breakfast Crackers Super Bowl Commercial

Two police offers rave about their sustained energy to do their jobs thanks to enjoying a couple of Belvita breakfast crackers in the morning.

It’s refreshing to see something advertised that isn’t catering to nor promoting our gluttonous ways. When you’re sitting almost motionless for four hours on a couch surrounded by chips, cheese dip, grilled meat and beer, do you really need constant reminders to go out and buy more of it? We think not.

Need more Super Bowl commercials? Click here to see the making of the GoDaddy commercial with Jillian Michaels, Danica Patrick, and Natalia Velez.

By Lauren O’Connor, MS, RD for Nutri-Savvy.

You may tread on it, wear it, and yes, even ingest it! The same chemical used in making tires and the make-up you wear may be found in a wide variety of common, everyday food products.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is a synthetic chemical found in petroleum, rubber, cosmetics, animal feed, and food packaging. Because it prevents oxidation, it is also used to “preserve freshness” in food products. It works by retarding rancidity and eliminating odors in fat and oil-containing foods. Though an “antioxidant,” this widely-used substance may be cause for concern.

The exposure to BHA in foods increased nearly two-fold from the 1970s to the early eighties, with US annual usage rising from 170,000 kg to 300,000 kg. The additive may be found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snacks, nut products, dry beverage mixes, active dry yeast, dehydrated potatoes and beer! And let’s not forget the environment: If you work around livestock or in the cosmetics, rubber or petroleum industries, you have increased exposure. Fast-food employees who cook and serve fried, oily foods are also more exposed.
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By Kelly Canull, an online soul and life coach at KellyCanull.com.

Every year, heart disease claims more and more lives. Countless people have had their journeys needlessly cut short. Even more people have been unable to receive the mindful and soulful benefits of having those people in their lives. Heart disease and other violent matters of the physical body are working against us, keeping us from fulfilling our destinies, and from touching the lives of those we know and love.

The Holistic Approach to a Healthy Heart

Your health is the most important tool you have in your pursuit of a higher purpose in life. And I’m not just talking about your body. Your mind, body, and spirit all require a healthy prognosis in order to reach their full potential.

The holistic student is one who understands that everything is connected. A symptom cannot be treated on its own in the holistic setting, because its mal-effects are able to travel across borders and infect every facet of your life, even if that doesn’t seem quite possible.

For instance, when you get a stomach bug, your physical body becomes worn down, which in turn darkens your mind, and even corrupts the light of your spirit. One cannot have the body treated and ignore the mind and spirit.

Your heart is a special place. Each of us is born with a guide, a Divine Guide, which helps conduct us through life in a purposeful manner and leads us ever on to the glories of inner peace. This Divine Guide lives in our soul, moves throughout our bodies, and uses our hearts as its voice.
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A party like Super Bowl should have one big meal, it should have a lot of little favorites. You don’t want anyone to get too full too soon, that game lasts four hours in case you haven’t heard!

Slider sandwiches are the perfect way to give a little bit of a whole lot and keep your crowd satisfied for hours. We like them because they’re practically built-in portion control. Don’t grill half-pound burgers, make tiny ones on tiny buns. Sliders allow you to to enjoy something often though of as “off-limits” for healthy eaters, but in these smaller packages you can give in a little bit guilt-free.

Our BBQ Pork Sliders are made with lean pork tenderloin, your favorite barbecue sauce, and topped with a homemade coleslaw. They’re super simple to make. You could start and have your platter stacked with sandwiches in about an hour! Talk about the perfect last-minute crowd pleaser. If you’ve got time though, this can all be made ahead of time and assembled as your guests are arriving.

Ingredients

One pork tenderloin (about 1 ¼ lbs.)
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
3 cups bagged Classic Cole Slaw (shredded cabbage and carrots)
3 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
1 ½ tsp. cider or white vinegar
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sliced scallions
12 dinner rolls or slider buns, split and warmed or toasted if desired
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