Amusement Park Food: What To Skip, What To Pick

Carnivals, fairs and amusement parks can be pretty scary when it comes to picking healthy meals and snacks.
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Now that the warm weather is here, many of us will be spending time at carnivals, fairs and amusement parks -- spots that can be pretty scary when it comes to picking healthy meals and snacks. If you are wondering what to watch out for (besides the roller coaster with the 100-foot drop), here are a few rules to live by:

Not So Amusing: Funnel Cake And Fried Desserts(01 of07)
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Snacking on snickers, dough or oreos that have been dipped in batter and deep-fried can contain one day's worth of fat -- and can pack in a whopping 700+ calories each! (credit:Flickr: Rhea C)
Not So Amusing: Sno Cones(02 of07)
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The problem with sno cones is all that sugar-laden syrup the crushed ice is drowned in. If you want to keep your sno-cone calorie counts low, you need to do one of two things. You can either a. use sugar-free syrup (which means your treat will likely be calorie-free), or b. carefully monitor the amount of syrup that is poured over your ice. Sno-cone syrups usually contain 80-100 calories per ounce. Therefore, a 12-ounce sno-cone with 6 ounces of syrup contains a shocking 540 calories! Stick with half the amount of syrup and your sno-cone will contain half the calories.
Not So Amusing: Ice Cream(03 of07)
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Ice cream sold at carnivals is often full fat and served in sugary waffle cones. That adds up to a ton of calories -- close to 1,000 -- for a large cone. Many vendors carry individually wrapped frozen novelties. So if you absolutely must have ice cream, consider getting one of those. Otherwise, try to stick with some cold water or a diet beverage and hold off on the frozen treats until you get home.
More Amusing: Cotton Candy(04 of07)
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While cotton candy isn't exactly good for you, a one-ounce cone only contains approximately 100 calories, no fat and less sugar than one can of regular soda. This doesn't mean you should eat cotton candy every day. However, it might be a more sensible choice in comparison to many carnival treats.
More Amusing: Lean Proteins(05 of07)
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In general, when it comes to meals, stick with deli meats or grilled lean protein (like chicken), rather than hot dogs, pizza or hamburgers.
More Amusing: Fresh Fruit(06 of07)
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Amusement parks, carnivals and fairs typically have fresh fruit or smoothie stands.
More Amusing: BYOT (Bring Your Own Treats)(07 of07)
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Keep a stash of these travel-friendly treats in your bag to help you avoid eating the high-calorie snacks that pop up at parks:•Sugar-free hard candies•Sugar-free mints•Sugar-free gum•Turkey jerky•Light cheese snacks•Trail mix made with nuts, high-fiber, low-sugar cereal and dried fruit•100-calorie packs of almonds

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