We don’t live in a perfect world. If we did, Beyoncé would headline the Super Bowl halftime show every year, and seven layer nacho dip wouldn’t have any calories. But this year, I’ve “consciously uncoupled” from my unrealistic Super Bowl expectations and decided to give the halftime show (Beyoncé-light), featuring Coldplay, a chance. 

No matter what your feelings are on Coldplay, or the antics of Chris Martin’s ex, we have to acknowledge that their songs do more than entertain: They can teach us about nutrition and food safety. So let’s take a look at Coldplay’s greatest nutrition and food safety hits. 

CLOCKS

In the refrigerator, but it can’t be saved
Leftover from two weeks ago
Smell brings me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead, singing

Can’t I just “nuke it” anyway?
Check my cold storage chart and I
See a date that can’t be named
Don’t want a case of E. coli that can’t be tamed, singing

“Ewwww, ewwww”
“Ewww”

A lament about the passage of time, or a food safety educators’ ode to proper cold storage for leftovers? You be the judge. And remember, if you don’t know how long it’s been in the fridge: “When in doubt, throw it out.”

FIX YOU

When you try to eat healthy, but you don’t succeed
When you count calories, but don’t get nutrients you need
When you feel so tired, and unmotivated
You need an RD

Coldplay knows that the core concepts of healthy eating and physical activity are simple, but maintaining these practices on a day-to-day basis can be challenging for some. If you’re struggling with weight management, it may be helpful to see a registered dietitian (RD). We can’t guarantee that an RD will “fix you,” but they can help give you the knowledge and motivation you need for long-term weight management success.

YELLOW

Look at the foods
Look at their long shelf-life
And all the health benefits
Yeah, they were all packaged

I ate a meal
Healthy and convenient
And even tasty too
And it was all packaged

Looks like Coldplay knows better than to judge a food by its package.  Besides being convenient, many packaged foods are also packed with vital nutrients. A healthy diet can include a variety of fresh and packaged foods. Take frozen corn, bagged carrots, or margarine, for example. They’re all packaged, can all deliver health benefits, and (at least in this case) they’re “all yellow.”

This year, as you’re watching the Super Bowl, enjoy your Coldplay with a side of nutrition and food safety.

Photo credit: By Fibercool (Coldplay (barcelona), original resolution), via Wikimedia Commons