Ah Super Bowl Sunday. Even those who know nothing about football find themselves partaking in the Super Bowl Traditions. There’s the watching of the game, the gathering of friends, the criticizing of the halftime show and the judging of the commercials. And of course, there’s the food. There’s mountains and mountains of food. Super Bowl Sunday is a big day of grazing chips, dips, wings, pizza and sliders. For some people, the Super Bowl means football. For most people, the Super Bowl means overindulgence.

But believe it or not, it is possible to eat well, even on a day like Super Bowl Sunday. Hosting the party? Add healthy snacks to your menu instead of just the usual high fat suspects. Follow the tips below to lighten up your Super Bowl smorgasbord:

• Pass on the store bought snacks and takeout food packed with sodium and fat.

• Include fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apple halves or carrot sticks.

• Condiments can contain far more calories than you think. Watch creamy dips and cheese. Limit portions or serve low-fat options.

• Offer foods and beverages low in fat, calories, sugars, salt and sodium.

• Serve foods and beverages that can be consumed by people with diabetes or on special diets.

• Water is always a great alternative to sugary and caffeinated drinks.

• Replace meats with veggies whenever possible to bring down the calorie count

• Limit your alcohol intake. Alcoholic beverages are high in calories and encourage you to eat more.

• Try keeping food in the kitchen and out of the living room. Doing so forces you and your guests to get up and make a plate when hungry and limits mindless eating.

The Super Bowl comes but once a year and some of us may choose to indulge. Should you go this route there are ways to enjoy your football food without going overboard. Try the following:

• Choose to indulge on your favorite food rather than eating some of everything.

• Drink plenty of water to flush out excess sodium and avoid bloating

• Eat better the next day. Vegetables and lean proteins should make up for the processed fatty foods you had the day before.

If you are planning to enjoy the game away from home check out our blog: Eating Healthy in Restaurants for more tips for eating better on game day.

What is your favorite health-friendly Super Bowl recipe?

There are a number of reasons why people get cancer. Some cancers are genetic and others environmental. Others still are caused by life style choices. A recent study discovered four common lifestyle factors may be responsible for one-third of all cancers. Meaning simple behavior changes could be life saving.

Tobacco

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that tobacco causes cancer. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because tobacco use is an acquired behavior and something people actively choose to do, smoking is considered the most preventable cause of death in our society.

Diet

One-third of all cancer deaths in the United States each year are linked to diet and physical activity. Carrying excess body fat increases the risk of seven cancers. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories, which help us get to and stay a healthy weight. Whole grains and beans are rich in fiber and moderate in calories, which also help in weight management efforts. Conversely, processed and fried foods eaten in excess are known to cause cancer.

Alcohol

Alcohol raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and the colon and rectum. People who drink alcohol should limit their intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. The combination of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of some cancers far more than the effect of either drinking or smoking alone.

Obesity

According to an American Cancer Society study, as many as 90,000 cancer deaths each year could be prevented if Americans had better maintained a normal, healthy body weight. Obesity causes the body to produce more of the hormones estrogen and insulin which, under the right circumstances, are critical for our health. But when someone is obese and these hormones are too high, they actually stimulate the growth of cancer cells.

What’s the moral of the story? More than 33 percent of cancers could be prevented if we all quit smoking, ate a healthier diet, limited alcohol consumption and maintained a healthy weight. If any of the above cancer causers apply to you, please do everything in your power to lower your risk. If you have, or have had cancer, this doesn’t mean life insurance is out of reach. Talk to your insurance broker about which term life insurance company is best for you.

Today we are going back to 1993, when the blockbuster movie “Groundhog Day” came out, starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors. Phil runs into an old acquaintance from high school, Ned Ryerson, who is now a life insurance salesman! Who can forget Ned’s portrayal of a typical insurance salesman.

“Do you have life insurance? Because if you do, you could always use a little more. Am I right or am I right, or am I right? Right, right, right. “

Today we are going to let Ned be the salesman, after all he does have some valid points, and we sure do love his enthusiasm!

Do You Have Term Life Insurance?

In a perfect world, every single person would have term life insurance. An alarming percentage of Americans today are uninsured, as high as 30-40% of adults have no life insurance at all. At the very bare minimum, everyone should have enough term life insurance to cover final expenses.

Imagine what a struggle your loved ones would go through if you were to pass away. In addition to grieving (which could take months or more off of a work schedule), bills such as the mortgage payment and living expenses would quickly overwhelm a person or family who has just lost a significant portion of their income. Don’t let your loved ones suffer any more than they need to if you were to pass away ... get some term life insurance!

You Could Always Use A Little More!

Most Americans are also under-insured to boot! The low end recommendation is to cover 10 years of your lost income in term life insurance. So if you make $50,000 per year, this would result in a $500,000 policy. If you stop to think about it though, your loved ones likely would need more than 10 years of your lost income, as the mortgage will likely not be paid off by then, the kids still need to get through college, and then there is retirement income to think about!

There are caps at how much term life insurance you can purchase based on your age and income. Therefore, we suggest you discuss this topic with a licensed life insurance agent or financial planner to be sure you do not purchase an inadequate term life insurance policy.

Right, Right, Right!

There are a million excuses out there not to get term life insurance and be financially responsible. However, that is just what they are, EXCUSES! Deep down, the financial guru in you knows that having sufficient term life insurance to protect your loved ones is essential. This is one thing that Ned is definitely right about! Bing!

Happy Groundhog Day!

There are ordinary every day things that people generally insure: cars, homes, health and lives. Some people buy flood insurance and others earthquake insurance. Then, we have the not-so-ordinary items people choose to insure:

Wedding Insurance

After shelling out thousands of dollars for a wedding, it would be kind of a bummer to have to cancel or postpone the ceremony. One million and one things can go wrong at a wedding (have you seen the Runaway Bride?). And that's exactly why some insurance companies offer wedding insurance. Not only can couples purchase insurance to cover the wedding itself, but often these policies also cover damage to the bride's gown, stolen or broken wedding gifts and wedding photos.

Kidnapping Insurance

If you’ve learned anything from MasterCard commercials it’s that, while most things cost money, family is priceless. Or is it? Kidnappers and extortionists have shown us otherwise. Many insurance companies are now offering Kidnap and Ransom insurance. If you have a K&R policy, the insurance company will reimburse your family or corporation for the kidnappers’ ransom fee. So much for the old phrase ‘money can’t buy you love.’

Body Insurance

Some folks are even purchasing insurance policies for certain body parts. For instance, Tom Jones insured his chest hair, J Lo insured her backside and Heidi Klum insured her long legs. Merv Hughes, bowler for Australia’s national cricket team, was so proud of his trademark mustache that he purchased a very expensive policy to cover the facial hair, but interestingly enough left his cricket arm uninsured. It’s too bad Achilles never spoke to his broker about investing in a policy for his infamous heel.

Paternity Insurance

You can get an insurance policy for just about anything these days, including fatherhood. David Lee Roth, lead singer for Van Halen, did exactly that while he was on tour in the 1980s. Roth purchased a policy which stated that if he were ever the victim of a paternity suit, the company would cover the expenses. How’s that for a Father’s Day gift?

Fantasy Football Insurance

You can now insure your Fantasy Football league should you choose. For those who don’t know, Fantasy Football is a game where participants draft real NFL players onto theoretical teams. If your star player is injured, you can recoup your losses by buying an insurance policy. If your star player sits out a certain number of games, Fantasy Football Insurance will refund your entire entry fee. Just goes to show, you can insure anything, both real and imaginary.

Alien Abduction Insurance

Do you worry about if something else is out there? Do science fiction novels hit a little too close to home? Do extraterrestrials haunt your thoughts and dreams? Well worry no more! Alien abduction insurance policies are available for just this reason. This insurance policy can be redeemed if the insured person is abducted by extraterrestrials. So long as you can prove that you were kidnapped by something out of this world, you are covered. Alien abduction insurance: don’t beam up without it.

While these insurance policies may seem unnecessary and even extreme, not all policies are quite so superfluous. Term life insurance is a practical way to protect your family after you are gone. Talk to an insurance broker to find out what insurance company is best for you.

You know those uncontrollable cravings? The ones that have you convinced that you would do almost anything for a chocolate bar or some potato chips? It turns out that there is a scientific explanation behind all the silly things you would do for a Klondike bar.

Cravings are your body’s way of telling you something is out of balance. They are a signal to the brain about what our body is lacking. Your craving is a sign that your body wants nutrients and not necessarily a specific food. Below are some common cravings and what your body actually wants when it is telling you to eat them.

Sugar Cravings

A sugar craving is simply the body asking for energy. For as long as humans been around, we have been programmed to desire sweet-tasting foods. Long before candy bars people had to eat plants to get sweet taste they so desired. It is no coincidence these sweet foods are also great sources of nutrients, energy and fiber. When you desire sweets it means your body is missing out on carbon, phosphorus and sulfur. Fresh fruit will give you your carbon fix while simultaneously giving your taste buds what they want. Phosphorus can be found in eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes and sulfur can be found in cranberries, horseradish and cruciferous vegetables. Try adding these foods to your diet and watch your ice cream craving melt away.

Salt Cravings

A salt craving usually means you are not getting enough minerals. One of the key minerals you are missing out on is chloride. Table salt has been refined and stripped of many of its minerals. Processed foods are lacking in this department as well. It’s no wonder a giant bowl of over-salted popcorn is sounding mighty fine right about now. Try switching your usual salt shaker out for sea salt and adding chloride rich fish and raw goat milk to the menu.

Craving for Spicy Foods

A craving for spicy food can be out of control. Those who can’t get enough spice often consider food merely as a vessel for hot sauce. This could mean that your body is not able to regulate its temperature and needs a little spicing up to do so. This food craving for spicy food could also mean that your body needs some zinc. Red meats, seafood, leafy vegetables and root vegetables should help cool down these cravings.

Craving Alcohol

Sometimes nothing sounds better than a nice glass of wine. This could be from a long hard day or it could be from a lack of protein, calcium, glutamine or potassium. To give your body what it really needs, try eating foods high in calcium such as turnip greens, broccoli and cheese as well as high in potassium like bananas, seaweed and black olives. You can get your glutamine fix by taking supplements or eating raw cabbage and spinach. Add these foods to your diet to avoid hitting the bottle.

The key is to trust your crazy cravings. Whenever your body is craving something, pause for a moment and ask yourself what your body is looking for and why. This should help you make better eating choices. A healthy diet could help reduce your premiums. Let your term life insurance broker know if you are dieting and they will assist you in choosing the best life insurance company for you.