Get Fit Friday: Fair Food & Healthy Strategies

Summertime in Indiana would not be complete without the county and state 4-H fairs. The local buzz, events, colors, sounds, and food brings our town a little extra spirit one week out of every year. While most fitness enthusiasts rave to avoid the fair altogether- I beg to differ. With proper discipline, planning, and decision-making you can have a great time to no expense of your waistline.

The best way to ensure a gult-free great time is with a solid strategy. Some strategies I suggest:

Plan your meals. Eat beforehand or have a specific menu item that you will allow yourself to purchase. Do not purchase any extras from plan like extra fries, sodas, or other add-ons
Walk the Fair. See the animals, talk to friends, and visit all the booths. Add these extra steps to your daily activity logs.
Wear Sunscreen. Sunscreen, hats, and umbrellas may be helpful at large fairs. There’s often little shade available so it’s important to protect your skin & keep cool.
Drink Water. The easiest way to cut calories is by drinking water instead of soda or other beverages. It’s also important to stay hydrated.
Avoid Smoke. Many fairs are going smoke-free, but for the ones that are still smoke-friendly try to limit your exposure. Find the areas in which smoke is not allowed and spend most of your time there. If you are a smoker or with someone who is, please choose to smoke away from the fairgrounds.
Find Fresh Produce. There’s nothing better than fresh-picked sweet corn and hand-grown tomatoes. Sometimes you can find fresh produce for sale at or around these fairs.

Ever wonder how many calories are in a Fried Snickers bar? Here’s a list of popular Fair Food items and their calorie contents:

Fried Candy Bars (5 oz.): 444 calories and 29 grams (g) fat
Funnel cake (1): 760 calories/44 g fat
Cotton candy: 171 calories/0 fat
Elephant Ear (2.09 oz.): 310 calories and 300 mg sodium
Corn Dogs: 250 calories each
Fried Pickles (50, small): 300 calories
Lemon Shake-Ups: 254 calories/serving
Carmel Apples: 360 calories each

You can certainly still enjoy the foods on this list, but be mindful of the caloric content and be sure to factor them in to your daily food charts. While I love funnel cakes and elephant ears, it’s definitely not wise of me to have one every day of the fair. I usually enjoy one funnel cake -or- one elephant ear once per year and share them with a friend or sibling to help cut calories. A small taste is usually enough to satisfy my craving.

I hope you’ll attend your county and state fairs this year. These can be great social incentives and mini-breaks in your fitness routines. Will you be attending a fair this year? Please share your tips, strategies, and favorite foods in a comment on this post!

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