You Gotta Love Eating Healthy at the Iowa State Fair
Live to eat another day with heart-healthy
food ideas from Iowa Heart Center
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – August 5, 2008 – Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Don’t miss the fascinating feats of fair food…that’s right, folks, healthy eating at the Iowa State Fair!
With temptation lurking all around, it may seem impossible to find healthy foods at the fair, but they’re on the menu – right there next to all those deep-fried “on-a-stick” options.
Of course the Iowa State Fair is all about enjoying yourself and indulging in the best – or at least the best-tasting – that Iowa has to offer. Sometimes, though, the best of State Fair food can be the worst for your heart.
But don’t despair! The Iowa Heart Center has put together a “top-10 list” of healthy alternatives to balance out your fair-food fantasy with great-tasting treats that will help you enjoy your favorites without blowing an artery.
“Many people think the words ‘eat healthy’ and ‘State Fair’ don’t go together,” says Diane McIlhon, registered dietitian at the Iowa Heart Center. “Truth is, it’s easy to eat healthy at the fair if you make good choices.”
Eating a corn dog or turkey leg is OK. Where most of us get into trouble is when we eat a turkey leg, followed by a funnel cake, and wash it all down with a couple of beers. The calories in a meal like that add up to more than what most folks should eat in a whole day.
“Don’t deprive yourself of that special State Fair food you’ve been thinking about all year,” McIlhon says. “The key is to prevent yourself from over-indulging – limit yourself to one or two of your favorite foods to satisfy your cravings without ruining your health.
“Use the buddy system,” she recommends. “Share a serving of your favorite decadent goodie with a friend – or two. Most servings are much larger than one person needs to feel satisfied. Sharing with friends allows everyone to get a taste of those items that are less healthy without over-doing it.”
Iowa Heart Center health professionals will be on-hand throughout the fair with more tips on healthy eating, including a Weight Watchers Points list for 38 fair food favorites.
If you’re wondering about your risk of developing heart disease, Iowa Heart Center nurse practitioners will conduct free cardiac risk assessments from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, and Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the Iowa Farm Bureau Wellness Tent.
Of course, if you have an immediate concern about your heart condition, don’t wait. The cardiac experts at Iowa Heart Center recommend that you contact your primary care physician for a check-up right away.
Iowa Heart Center’s Top 10 Healthy Fair Food Tips
1. Forego the cave-man-size turkey leg for a turkey tenderloin – they’re both tasty but at 1,400 calories and 55 to 60 grams of fat, that turkey leg could stay with you for years. At just 350 calories and 30 grams of fat, the turkey tenderloin is the heart-healthy alternative.
2. Go with the Pork-Chop-on-a-Stick instead of sausages or brats – Although it sounds decadent, Iowa’s famously flavorful “Pork Chop on a Stick” wins by a mile when it comes to nutrition and calories versus a large Italian sausage. While the meaty pork chop has about 500 calories and around 10 grams of fat, the Italian sausage will pack on 1,200 calories and between 55 and 60 grams of fat.
3. Sweet tooth nagging you? Have a big, sticky cotton candy rather than a funnel cake. Cotton Candy weighs in at about 150 calories against the funnel cake’s whopping 800 calories.
4. Stagger your beers with water – rather than downing beer after beer at 250 calories for a large regular beer, try following each beer with an ice-cold bottle of water. The water will also keep you hydrated and help you avoid the bad effects of too much alcohol in the heat.
5. Kettle corn over nachos with cheese – Just one helping of nachos with cheese will add 900 calories and 35 fat grams. Sure, Kettle Corn has some fat, sugar and salt, but it’s far fewer calories than a much smaller volume of nachos.
6. Dippin’ Dots over a Wonder Bar – Dippin’ Dots calorie and fat count: 170 and 10 grams in a half-cup serving.
7. Feel like something on a stick? Try roasted corn-on-the-cob rather than a corn dog. At just 250 calories and zero grams of fat (not counting butter), you’ll fend off the corn dog’s 700 calories and 35 to 40 grams of fat.
8. Banana-on-a-Stick or watermelon rather than a deep-fried candy bar: How many calories in a deep-fried candy bar? Really, you don’t want to know – OK, we warned you: the deep fried candy bar will set you back 800 calories and 40 grams of fat.
9. Pork loin sandwich over a fried pork tenderloin – For filling, high-quality protein, the lean pork loin sandwich beats the fried tenderloin hands down.
10. Carmel apple rather than a bloomin’ onion or fried cheese curds. Yes, there’s carmel on the outside, but there’s an apple on the inside. At about 500 calories each and nearly 40 fat grams, the carmel apple is a sweet-and-sour treat on the healthier side.
