These are the insane stats around how much food and drink we get through during the Super Bowl

Apart from the actual football, Super Bowl Sunday is about two things: ignoring church and eating an unholy amount of food. While all weekends provide a welcome excuse to relax, the Big Game provides the backdrop for a party like no other. It doesn’t even matter who you support, or if you even like sport: everyone eats and drinks like it’s going out of style.

This extraordinary display of human overindulgence naturally gives rise to some extraordinary statistics. Simultaneously impressive, disgusting and depressing, if anything is going to put the size and scale of the Super Bowl into perspective, it’s a few of these handy factoids. Bon Appetit.

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1. Wings

If there’s one food that defines the NFL it is the chicken wing. Eaten at every ground, by every fan, all the time, every chicken in America draws its breath when Super Bowl season comes around, and with good reason. Estimates suggest that Americans eat approximately 1.3 billion wings on Super Bowl Sunday. For context, that’s about four wings for every man, woman and child.

2. Pizza

According to official statistics, Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day of the year by far for American pizza chains. In the run up to Super Bowl 50, Domino’s revealed that they were expecting to sell 20 million slices on the day itself – around five times more than a typical Sunday. Pizza Hut were hot on their heels, with sales totalling around three million individual pizzas.

3. Potato Chips

For football fans, snacks are king, and no snack is held in higher esteem than the humble potato chip. Eaten in households all over America, the stats suggest that the country will get through 11.2 million pounds of potato chips on February 3rd, as well as 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips.

4. Guacamole

If you’re investing that heavily in potato-based snacks, your dip game has to be strong. Small wonder that Americans are also big fans of guacamole. According to the Mexican farmers responsible for producing the majority of avocados needed to satisfy demand, American consumers will munch their way through around 53.5 million pounds of avocados over the weekend.

5. Beer

After all that salt, most people are going to want something to drink. Though every sporting occasion is an excuse to get tanked, Super Bowl takes things a step further, with Americans expected to consume around 325.5 million gallons of beer in a single day. That’s enough to fill nearly 500 Olympic swimming pool, for anyone who’s counting.

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6. Popcorn

Very much the unsung hero of Super Bowl snacking, popcorn is often the bridesmaid and never the bride. Though small, the stats around this much loved snack are still significant, with Americans expected to eat around 3.8 million pounds of popped kernels, according to Calorie Control Council.

7. Burgers

If nothing else, the Super Bowl provides a great excuse to get the grill out. To go with their pizza and wings, many Americans also like to serve their guests a selection of hamburgers, meaning that around 14 million hamburgers are expected to be sold on the big day.

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Letting off some steam on a Sunday in February might not feel like a big deal, especially given the traditions of the Super Bowl. It’s only when you break down the facts that the size and scale of what’s being eaten becomes clear. Some will find it scary, others sinister. Whatever your feelings, there’s no denying that these stats are seriously awesome.