Big Bowl of nuts

Junk food ads sit it out as ‘healthy’ play

Remember how Super Bowl broadcasts used to be larded with ads for burgers and fries, salty chips and sugar-filled sodas?

This Sunday’s crop of Super Bowl spots is reminding some 100 million viewers about healthy foods instead.

Madison Avenue’s marketers suggest viewers grab a handful of nuts or eat an avocado and wash it down with a bottle of antioxidant-laced water.

Meanwhile, longtime junk-food advertisers are sitting out the big game. Frito-Lay’s cheese-dusted Doritos brand is staying on the sidelines this year, as are Butterfinger, Heinz, Mountain Dew, Taco Bell and Jack in the Box. (Snickers and Skittles are suiting up.)

Wendy’s is splurging for a $5 million spot for the first time in its history — but the fast food chain is touting that its beef patties are fresh, pitting them against rivals’ frozen burgers. Thus far, McDonald’s hasn’t announced any in-game ad plans.

Gone are the days when Britney Spears slurped carbonated Pepsi at halftime.

Instead, Pepsi is launching a major push of its Lifewtr brand, which contains electrolytes. The halftime show starring Lady Gaga will promote Pepsi’s Zero Sugar drink.

Dr Pepper-owned Bai will promote its antioxidant beverages, while Fiji Water will remind viewers that it is “nature’s gift” and not altered in any way.

Avocados from Mexico will tout its products in a humorous spot, while the Wonderful Pistachios’ Super Bowl commercial shows an elephant getting in shape on a treadmill and extolling how the nuts are a source of protein.

Katie Hooper, managing director of Rockville, Md.-based marketing agency HZDG, told The Post: “Healthy foods are nothing new, but this is a reflection of healthy hitting the mainstream.”

Fox will air the Super Bowl on Sunday. The network is charging advertisers $5 million for a 30-second commercial.