DIET | DETECTIVE^®

I was scanning the events section of the newspaper and saw a full-page description of a county fair coming to south Florida the beginning of April. Some of the more unusual events included pigs racing for chocolate chip cookies, a live shark event and a daily Mardi Gras parade. But none competed for my attention as much as a listing of the deep-fried food offerings by the director of the concessions. Apparently these snack foods have replaced the traditional cotton candy, candied apples and jumbo hot dogs of former years.According to an article in the Miami Herald by Jaweed Kaleem,some of the treats awaiting the fair goer included deep-fried cheesecake, Oreo cookies, Pepsi balls (doughnut holes injected with Pepsi syrup), and elephant ears (fried dough with cinnamon and sugar). If, after eating these concoctions, you felt the need to eat something a tad more nutritious, you could buy a roast beef sundae. This is a bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy, slices of beef and a cherry (tomato) on top.

I felt the need for an antacid tablet after reading through this list. “How can people eat this stuff?” I wondered. But on further thought I realized that obviously they do. Concession vendors pay good money to get a place at a fair and they certainly are not going to sell foods which have no appeal. And presumably the deep-fried Oreos or cheesecake must taste good or even great for them to be featured items in the snack category.

How does one reconcile the list of these coming food attractions with report after report in this newspaper and others of the health risks of obesity? This particular county has spent a great deal of effort and money trying to improve the quality of school lunches and to slow down the rapid rise of obesity in the schools. But a few deep-fried Oreos along with Pepsi-saturated doughnut holes will, I suspect, have more appeal than steamed vegetables and grilled chicken. But it is more than just appeal. Fairs are fun and going to them means fun eating. It is as hard to say no to these snack foods as it is to avoid paying to shoot a metal duck off of a stand to get a fuzzy stuffed animal. People do not go to fairs to be sensible; they go to have their insides jolted on a ride that hangs them upside down, to marvel at weird looking vegetables, and to watch pigs racing for cookies.

So how do your prevent yourself and your family from packing on some extra pounds at the fair? Actually it is not difficult. Never go hungry. Don’t depend on fair food for your meals. Eat before you go and if you will be on the fair grounds for several hours, take sandwiches and snacks with you. Carry water as well as thirst might tempt you into buying a giant container of soda. Since it probably will be hard to avoid buying something from the concession stand, you should look for a snack that does the smallest amount of calorie damage. Candied applies (don’t buy them if you have lose crowns on your teeth), cotton candy (all sugar and air and very boring to eat after a while), or skewers of barbecued chicken and vegetables are usually available. 

However, if the fried dough or cheesecake is really calling to you, then buy just one and share it.  Three or four bites of this type if snack will not do that much damage to your waistline or gallbladder.  One word of caution though; Do this after you are upside down on that ride.

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