It's Game Time!

Since most of you will be tuning in Sunday to watch the big game, I just wanted to share a few tips to avoid the Super Bowl bulge that's bound to occur after a debaucherous day of sports, food and beer.

I'm headed to a friend's party where there will likely be an array of high-calorie snacks and fat-laden foods and beverages on display. Yes, I very well might grab a small plate of buffalo wings or a slice of pizza. But I'm also bringing a bag of baked chips and a few containers of low-fat dip and salsa. Even that little modification can have a big end result. After all, statistics show that choosing fat-free potato chips for the big game could save up to 300 calories per person. The same goes for soda. I'll definitely be drinking the diet version over the full-calorie can!

Other plans? I will be hitting the gym for a one-hour workout Sunday morning. And as for the booze, I'll be drinking light beer...in moderation. And in between each drink, I'll have a glass of water.

Finally, I promise not to double-dip, not that I ever do. All Seinfeld fans should know what I'm talking about here!

Research published two years ago in the Journal of Food Safety determined that sporadic double dipping transfers at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite. Blech. Conducted by Clemson University, the study was proposed by Prof. Paul Dawson, a food microbiologist, after he saw a rerun of a 1993 "Seinfeld" episode where George Costanza is confronted after dipping the same chip twice. Here's a recap of the hilarious scene:

GEORGE: Double-dipped? What are you talking about?

TIMMY: You dipped the chip. You took a bite. And you dipped again.

GEORGE: So...?

TIMMY: That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip! From now on, when you take a chip - just take one dip and end it!

It seems Timmy wasn't so far off the mark about his germ concerns, huh? Dawson suggests thinking of it this way..."Before you have some dip at a party, look around and ask yourself, would I be willing to kiss everyone here? Because you don't know who might be double dipping, and those who do are sharing their saliva with you."

Keep that in mind should you wind up in front of a communal guacamole bowl this Super Bowl Sunday.