The Football Fan’s Diet

By Nicole Sebula
For The FFD

PITTSBURGH – Hello there fellow FFD readers.  How about those playoff games?  I really thought Philadelphia was going to pull it off at the end there when they scored two touchdowns in the matter of minutes.  It would have been great to see an interstate Super Bowl.  But I digress, Arizona and THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS (is it obvious that I am a Steelers fan?) are going to Tampa for the big game.  Although, if you think about it, two of the Arizona Cards coaches are former Steelers’ coaches, one Card player was a Pitt footballer, and I believe there is at least one more fellow on the team that went to high school in Pittsburgh.

Now for the past two playoff games I have given tailgating and home snacks that were moderately healthy.  I am a firm believer that everything in moderation is good (when it comes to food).  If you deprive yourself of something, you will just want it that much more and end up binging.  No one wants that.  I think the Super Bowl is a good day to take off from the healthy and go a little to the ‘dark side’. 

Pittsburgh is a great city for a variety of meals… Here are a few of my suggestions for your Super Bowl party (If your not lucky enough to be heading south to Tampa, that is). 

Primanti Brothers Restaurant is one of the first things everyone seems to think when they think Pittsburgh.  And while their sandwiches not the most figure friendly, they do have vegetables on them, so how bad can they be, right?!  Get a few sandwiches for take out and add them to your spread.

Another item, that is relatively easy is the Pierogi.  Who doesn’t like dough filled with potato (or any of the other yummy fillings) smothered in butter and onions or deep fry them and throw a little bays seasoning on them with a little sour cream on top.  Granted, again not the most figure friendly of foods but the Super Bowl only comes around once a year. 

Another easy one, Islay’s chipped ham bar-b-q’s.  This one can just be thrown into a crock pot and left to cook itself.  Simple ingredients too, chipped ham, Islay’s sells ham bar-b-q sauce available at the grocery store, and some buns.  If you want your sauce a little hotter or sweeter you can add brown sugar, hot sauce or vinegar to appease your taste buds.

Enough food for now, you will need something thirst quenching to wash it down with… Pittsburgh also offers a wide variety of beers.  Iron City is a popular and cost efficient beer for large gatherings.  There is also Penn Pilsner (which is one of my favorites) which is a little more expensive but it is a good quality beer. 

Whatever you decide, I hope these suggestions are helpful in your planning. Now go enjoy the big game, scream at the television when a bad call is made, and don’t worry about one night of fatty foods, tomorrow back to healthy.

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