In many places around the world, people will gather this weekend to watch the most anticipated football game of the season. Where there are gatherings of people, there are usually generous portions of food.
The information below from watercalculator.org can help you consider water-friendly choices like fruits and vegetables when planning your football feast.
It’s not unusual to start off with some hors d’oeuvres while final preparations are being made to the main dish. Nuts, nearly any kind, have a large water footprint. Four ounces of almonds require 483 gallons of water. The same serving size of cashews has a water footprint of 427 gallons. It takes 316 gallons of water to make four ounces of hazelnuts and 341 gallons of water for four ounces of pistachios.
According to almonds.com, nuts have a large water footprint because “plants require more energy, and thus more water, to create protein than sugars.”
Washing those salty snacks down with a beverage? A 12-ounce can of soda has a water footprint of 32.5 gallons of water. A 12-ounce can of beer requires 28.5 gallons of water. That is a mere drop in the bucket compared to wine, which requires 35 gallons of water for five ounces.
The main dish is ready! A burger with lettuce and tomato takes 660 gallons of water to make. About two chicken wings without sauce require 130 gallons of water. Maybe you can fill up on a side of celery since it only takes six ounces of water to create about two stalks of celery. The water footprint for meat is so high because it includes the water required to raise the animal as well as the amount used in the processing and packaging part of the process.
If you’re more the pizza delivery type, know that about two-thirds of a slice of cheese pizza takes 53 gallons of water.
After all that, have you saved room for dessert? This sweet tooth indulgence includes not only calories, but also a monster water footprint. It takes 516 gallons of water to make only four ounces of chocolate.
| Food Item |
Serving Size (in ounces) |
Water footprint (in gallons) |
| Nuts |
|
|
| Almonds |
4 |
483 |
| Cashews |
4 |
427 |
| Chestnuts |
4 |
83 |
| Hazelnuts |
4 |
316 |
| Peanuts |
4 |
119 |
| Pistachios |
4 |
341 |
| Walnuts |
4 |
279 |
| |
|
|
| Beverages |
|
|
| Beer |
12 |
28.5 |
| Soda |
12 |
32.5 |
| Wine |
5 |
35 |
| |
|
|
| Entrees |
|
|
| Hamburger (including bun, meat, lettuce and tomato) |
|
660 |
| Chicken wings |
About 2 wings |
130 |
| Side of celery |
4 |
6 |
| Pizza |
4 (or about 2/3 of a slice) |
53 |
| |
|
|
| Dessert |
|
|
| Chocolate |
4 |
516 |
To make your feast more water efficient, we suggest a variety of fruits and vegetables.
| Food item |
Serving size (in ounces) |
Water footprint (in gallons) |
| Broccoli |
4 |
9 |
| Carrots |
4 |
6 |
| Cranberries |
4 |
8 |
| Cucumbers |
4 |
11 |
| Pineapples |
4 |
8 |
| Potatoes |
4 |
9 |
| Raspberries |
4 |
12 |
| Strawberries |
4 |
10 |
| Watermelon |
4 |
7 |