Tag Archives: football

Vikings’ Bryant McKinnie is Too Big for Professional Football

Bryant McKinnie was a professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings. An offensive lineman, McKinnie signed a contract extension in 2006 that was worth almost $50 million dollars. It looked like McKinnie would be a long-term Viking, but he was recently cut from the team’s roster after he showed up to training camp, weighing almost 400 pounds. This is 65 pounds more than he weighed last year, and evidently, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Judd Zugland, a reporter at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, said that McKinnie’s weight gain was the “final straw” that allowed the team to dismiss him from their ranks. In the past, McKinnie has had several off-field issues such as being involved in a brawl in 2024 and was a key player in the infamous “Love Boat incident”, a sex party on a rented boat involving many members of the team, which was very embarrassing for the franchise.

In a sport where the players have to be big enough to clear the field for their teammates to score touchdowns and have to stop the other team from rushing the ball, shouldn’t bigger always be better? Surprisingly, no. These NFL linemen have to walk a thin line between being big but still athletic, and so overweight that it slows them down. It seems that the Vikings determined that McKinnie had finally gotten too big, and was no longer an asset to the football team.

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Empty Calories Comic: Super Bowl Tackles Diets

See more Empty Calories right here in the blog each week, or receive one each month when you subscribe to our free newsletter. (more…)

Health Buzz: Taco Bell’s Beef, New Dietary Guidelines and Heart Disease Risk Factors

Lawsuit Says Taco Bell Doesn’t Use Real Beef

The fast-food giant is being called out for the less than 35 percent beef used in their tacos and burritos. However, Taco Bell is fighting back saying they use 88 percent, plus a secret ingredient, in these “truth ads.”

The New 2024 Dietary Guidelines have Released

The USDA and HHS released the pentennial report with new nutritional recommendations for Americans. Included is direction for consuming less sodium, sugar and saturated fat, and consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Make Your Own Junk Food for Super Bowl

When you make food at home, you can control the ingredients and the portions. Try some of these ideas and recipes for serving healthier Super Bowl favorites at your party. (more…)

Healthier Super Bowl Eats for Pittsburgh Steelers Fans

One of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the traditional bar-food fare that often accompanies any big game. If you’re rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, you might be tempted to indulge in some locally-inspired game day grub.

Because Pittsburgh is a city rich with culinary tradition, its fans are often as loyal to its food as they are to its football team. Whether you’re rooting for the Steelers from your sofa or watching on a big-screen at a bar, you should pay homage to the city itself by splurging on some of Pittsburg’s favorite dishes. In case you’re cooking your game day goodies at home, we dug up some tips on how you can stay on your diet and support the team at the same time.

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Healthier Super Bowl Eats for Green Bay Packers Fans

Wisconsin might be known for its cheese production but there is more to the Badger State than saturated fat. With the Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in this weekend’s Super Bowl, waist watching Wisconsin fans are probably racking their brains to develop Super Bowl menus that don’t revolve around the words cheddar, Swiss and Roquefort.

Though cheese is certainly a staple in many game day dishes, you don’t have to go queso-crazy this week if you’re a Packers fan looking to pay homage to your favorite team. We did some digging and found a handful of recipes and snack suggestions to help you root for Aaron Rodgers and his clan without having to spend the rest of the week on a treadmill.

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Make Your Own Junk Food for Super Bowl

Holidays and events are generally focused around the food. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with this, the problem occurs when we choose the wrong foods on which to focus. Super Bowl is a prime example, known as the biggest eating day of the year. If you’ve made a resolution, this is your first real test and we want to help you pass with flying colors!

“Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself,” is a favorite quote by Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules and Omnivore’s Dilemma. It suggests that it’s OK to eat the foods you love, but only when you prepare them yourself. This allows you to control the ingredients, reduce or remove the processed and chemical ingredients, and stay closer to the whole form of the foods.

Here are some favorite homemade junk food recipes that will no doubt be a hit at your Super Bowl party, or any other food-focused event you’re hosting!

Fake Fry. Anything breaded, battered and fried isn’t good for you, no matter how healthy the original form of the food (think sweet potatoes and chicken). Use Panko, Japanese bread crumbs, to coat chicken strips, zucchini, onion rings or even green beans. Dip in low-fat buttermilk or toss in a small amount of olive oil, roll in Panko, give a light mist of cooking spray and then bake. The food comes out super crunchy and much healthier! Try this Biggest Loser’s Winning Fried Chicken. (more…)

How to Have a Healthier Super Bowl Party

The Super Bowl is scheduled to be played this year on Feb 6 and this culmination of the football season will be played out by the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Getting together with a group of friends to watch the game is a tradition, but if you are trying to lose weight, it can be a rough evening.  Why not host a healthy Super Bowl party? Sounds like an impossible task, but take heart, as it is not as difficult as it sounds.  With just a few key switch ups, your party guests will never realize that you’ve made changes to the menu that won’t leave them in need of a “day after” exercise binge.

  • Chili is a main stay of every football party, and for good reason. It’s a rich, hearty dish that is filling and delicious. Instead of using ground beef in your preparations, switch it up and use ground turkey, chicken or soy crumbles. Meatless chili or black bean versions are also very popular.

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Moms Get Fit with an NFL Quarterback Workout

The quarterback is one of the most important positions on a football team, not at all unlike the a mom in family. Like a quarterback she is tasked with running the offense and she calls plays (“pick up your toys!”), keeps the offense in line (assigned seats at the dinner table to avoid bickering), reads through the defense (those manipulative little smiles), and adjusts the plays accordingly (reverse psychology!). Because a QB’s job is never done, and neither is a mom’s with 3a.m. bedside visits, he has to be in tip-top shape to perform every play; as well, the mother needs to be in tip-top shape to keep up with the demands of her job.

Moms certainly deserve seven-figure salaries like professional football players, however, most 
accept payment via wilted flowers and hand-drawn family
 portraits.

Since healthy moms are happy moms, not to mention even 
stronger role models for their little ones, we want to help you stay fit like the QBs you resemble. Below is a sample fitness plan for a typical NFL quarterback. You already run around like one, now you can get fit like one.

Try the NFL Quarterback Training Program:



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Add Chains to Your Workout Like a NFL Player

My Colts may be out of the playoffs, but I will still be logging several hours in front of the television, watching other NFL athletes. (Go Bears!) The serious athletes who are finished for the season are probably already thinking about off-season workouts. Rest is important in growth (and to recover from injuries), but too much rest brings atrophy. A strong off season workout program can prepare a player to prevent unneeded stress and strain when other heavyweights are aiming to slam into you. The athleticism, strength, and endurance of professional football players is impressive to me, and I think we can learn from their training how to reach our own personal potential.

Dwight Freeney works out with tractor tires and chains. If you are living on a farm, you may be able to emulate his workout, although probably not his skill on the football field. Those of us in less rural areas may have difficulty finding the space to workout with tractor tires. Even those confined to a studio apartment have room to add chains to a home workout. While good resistance bands may be difficult to come by, especially in less urban areas, chains can be found easily in rural areas or any where with a Lowes, Home Depot, or Menards.

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Fall Fun Can Burn Major Calories

Fall leafIt’s autumn! Although I deeply love summer and fear what waits for us as autumn wanes, there is much about fall to be excited about.

Some may dread the temptation of unhealthy food that the cold months bring, like pumpkin pie, apple cider, and Halloween candy, but there is also an abundance of fresh apples, squash, and autumn-centric activities that can keep us active.

While exact calories burned during traditional autumn activities is a personal calculation, the internet can provide an estimate (in this case, for an adult between 145 and 160 pounds.) Try entering these activities into a personalized app for a more accurate calorie count. (more…)

Top 10 Lowest Calorie Beers

I don’t know about you, but fall and winter mean football season, which in turn means party season. That’s right, weekends become a bit more of a dietary challenge than the rest of the year. One such challenge is the lure of a beer or three during football games.

Everyone needs some time to kick back and let loose a little. Some of us just do it by having a few pops in front of the tube rooting for our favorite team.

Luckily, not all is lost. That’s because not all beers are heavy on the calories. If you choose to partake in a little gridiron partying, here are a few brews that won’t sack your diet efforts. (more…)