This year, it’s NFL snacking season vs. GLP-Is

IT’S WEEK 1 of the NFL season — meaning many of us have already started grazing for the winter.

- LZ GRANDERSON

FANS GRILL while tailgating outside the Cleveland Browns' stadium in 2023.

Fans of losing football teams have been found to devour 16% more saturated fat the day after a big game than their normal daily amount. Fans of winning teams consume 9% less than usual... as if the victory were not enough.

Dig a little further into the data behind our football eating habits, and you'll find that as a nation, we consume more calories on Super Bowl Sunday than we do on Christmas Day or Easter. Food and football are so synonymous in America that we consume more calories on Thanksgiving than on any other national holiday — not just because it’s a harvest feast, but also because there are three NFL games that day.

Face it, Week 1 tailgating may look innocuous, my friends, but usually it is our first step toward Gluttonyville.

I say usually because the rising use of GLP-I drugs is leading some of us in a new direction.

Cornell University and the market research firm Numerator recently found that within six months of usage, new GLP-I users reduce their overall grocery spending by 6%. They're also exchanging ultra-processed snacks and sugary beverages for healthier options. We're talking hamburgers, hot dogs, chips ... you know, some of ultra-processed foods’ biggest hits.