Sports and Snacks...Go Together like Love and Marriage.

Following the Detroit Lions Green Bay Packer football game two weeks ago (The lions won 17-9) I was going to write about Stephen Tulloch the Detroit player who ended his season by tearing up his knee. 

After riding Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers to the ground the linebacker couldn't resist mocking Rogers' "Discount Double Check" motion, used in his State Farm Insurance commercials. Tulloch jubilantly jumped in the air and tore his ACL when he landed awkwardly on his left leg. 

Yes, it was a stupid thing to do but he got caught up in the moment. His is not the first self-inflicted sports injury and it won't be the last.

David Wilson, a running back for the New York Giants career ended last year shortly after he celebrated a touchdown with a double back flip in the end zone.

In 2009 Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster caught his foot while vaulting the dugout railing celebrating a win. He broke a toe, missed nearly a month, and the Cubs missed the playoffs by 4.5 games.

Downhill skier Lindsey Vonn sliced open her right thumb on a celebratory bottle of champagne after a victory in the World Championships. She needed surgery on a tendon because of it but kept skiing that season.

In 2010 after hitting a walk-off homer, Angels slugger Kendry Morales capped off his trot with one final big jump into home plate, where upon landing he suffered a fracture in his lower left leg.

After a touchdown against the rival Giants, Redskins quarterbackGus Frerotte head-butted a padded-albeit-still-hard wall with his head (helmet still on) and had to leave the game because he was woozy and later suffered from spasms.

After nailing a 42-yard field goalearly in a game (a 42-harder and not a game-winner of any sort) the Cardinals’ kicker Bill Gramatica jumped in joy and then descended to the ground, where he suffered a torn ACL, presumably on account of not being a great athlete.

And while on the subject of sports. 

The NFL issued a statement that Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah who returned an interception for a touchdown, slid to his knees in the end zone to pray and was controversially flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during Monday night's 41-14 rout of the Patriots should not have been penalized and will not be fined. 

NFL spokesperson Micheal Signora said despite the rule prohibiting excessive celebrations, "The officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of a religious expression. If Tebow could pray to Jesus than Abdullah can certainly pray to Allah. The NFL is an equal opportunity entity and we believe in religious freedom."

I've never seen a football player score a touchdown, point to the sky and trace the Star of David on his chest.

Prior to the Rodgers sack dance Tulloch played in 131 straight games.

Over the week end Lions' tight end Joseph Fauria sprained his ankle while chasing his new puppy. He was trying to stop the Pompsky, half Pomeranian, half Husky, from peeing on the floor.

People, please be careful.

The older I get the more concerned I'm getting with creaks, aches and sudden pain. If a professional football player can injure himself while bounding after his puppy what chance do I have against a 50-pound sledge hammer. My roof climbing and gutter cleaning days are behind me. Last week I twisted while leaning down to put a pot away and pulled a muscle in my back. When I feel a twinge in my side I'm convinced I have a terrible disease and only have a small amount of time left on the planet.

But I also have many things to celebrate and look forward to. Wanda will retire and we will spend more time together. Hopefully we can travel. I have a wonderful family, a nice home and three cats, one is even friendly. As I sit here now I overlook a yard full of beauty; I see trees, shrubs, plants, flowers and a multitude of feeding birds. The sky is blue and the sun is shinning. 

I'll enjoy this while I can.

I know how lucky I am and I'm thankful for it every day.

I don't know what I will do as the years continue to pass. I like to think a sensible diet and moderate exercise will keep me in reasonably decent health the remainder of my life, I sure hope so. 

Honestly, I don't know what I would do should I go into decline. When I was working I used to joke (quietly) about stashing morphine for a rainy day. 

A friend told me she was worried about a neighbor. He was an older man who had suddenly taken ill. After several weeks in the hospital he was sent home on antibiotics and other medication. Lacking a family support system he was becoming more and more depressed. 

"He has guns and ammunition in his house and I should be worried he'll shoot himself but his arthritis is so bad he can't pull the trigger."

Now that's depressing.

I gave up latte's and switched to regular coffee. I got tired of the prep work involved with using the barista machine. Now after a few months I am fed up with cleaning the coffee pot every day. At this point my options are limited. I'm too cheap to buy a Keurig.

My initial motivation for making the change, or so I told myself, was the extra 220 calories from the milk I used each day. In the time I've been off the sauce I've dropped five pounds. The weight loss may have more to do with a lack of Wanda's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in the freezer but I'm not sure.

I always try to drop a few pounds before a cruise. There are many excellent calorie laden treats aboard the ship and guilt free eating is much more pleasurable. 

Andi and Wilbur are currently sailing Mexico. Andi wrote, "The cronuts are delicious and only a gazillion calories." 

Me? I'm partial to donuts, cookies, pastry and ice-cream.

We sail in 10 days.

According to the “Nielsen Global Survey Snacking,” consumers worldwide spent $374 billion on snack foods in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

The survey indicates that most people use savory snacks as a replacement for meals. People in the United States and Middle East are enjoying more meat snacks, with dried meat and jerky sales surging 15 percent and 25 percent, respectively. In Europe, sales of dips, including salsa and hummus, rose 6.8 percent, while in Latin America crackers, rice cakes and pita chips sales spiked 21 percent. People in Asia-Pacific countries indulged in dairy products with sales of yogurt, cheese and pudding increasing 6.4 percent.

Why and how people snack differ by gender. Men snack because they’re hungry or looking for enjoyment while women snack as an indulgence or because they’re bored, according to the study. Men reach for a snack during work whereas women grab a treat while using their smartphones, laptops or tablets. And don’t forget that other screen time: 78 percent of all respondents enjoyed snacks while camped in front of the TV.

Everyone snacks.

On Saturday night Wanda and I share a bag of microwave popcorn. We don't add salt or butter and what few calories we consume are quickly burned up while flossing. I must be careful around my temporary crown. It's good having things to remember and concentrate on to keep my brain occupied.

It seems simple enough to avoid snacks that aren't good for us but food companies are so clever packaging items that many appear healthy. Here are a few you should avoid.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Fruit or Vegetable Chips

Yogurt Raisins

Granola

Suggested serving sizes vary, 2 tablespoons of spread, 1/4 cup of granola or raisins to 1/2 cup of chips. One full cup of all these combined contains over 1,000 calories and 28 grams or 12 tablespoons of sugar.

I would eat carrot sticks if I could bite the darn things. 

These days I snack on grapes and raw apple slices.