Consider the corndog | SIU Healthy Dose

Written by Rebecca Budde, SIU School of Medicine
If you’re going to the Illinois State Fair this year, chances are, you’ve planned out your route to your favorite sites and food vendors. Those tasty treats you might be going for, however, may mean you’re better off walking the grounds rather than taking the Sky Glide.

Consider the corndog: At 375 calories, it’s only the beginning of the downward spiral of high fat, high calorie options. SIU registered dietitian Sara Lopinski has some tips to keep your diet in check.

Eat a healthy, high-fiber snack before you go to take the edge off your appetite
Choose one high calorie food and balance it with healthier options
Share with fellow fair-goers so that you don’t feel you have to eat the entire portion
Do some sight-seeing after eating to work off the extra calories and get some exercise
Head over to the Illinois Specialty Growers’ Association in the Heartland area and grab some fresh fruit

If you’re trying your best to eat healthily at the fair, Lopinski suggests looking for these options:

Grilled chicken sandwich
Corn on the cob
Portabella mushroom sandwich with veggies
Shrimp on a stick
Fruit smoothies

If your plans to visit the fair are just for the food, then you will probably overeat. Instead take part in some of these activities to work off those extra calories:

Walk the acreage of Conservation World
Paddle out in the canoes in Conservation World
Take the kids fishing, rock climbing or head to the archery range
Gather up a team and head to Happy Hallow for heart-pumping entertainment, such as paintball