Carnival and Boardwalk Food Dos and Don’ts

If you’re trying to lose weight this summer, chances are theme park and boardwalk foods are not on your list of healthy foods. But having meals on the boardwalk or at a carnival are probably inevitable for most of us.

What should you pick while strolling the boards? And what foods should you steer clear of all together? Here’s a list of “dos” and “don’ts” sure to fit any vacation.

Do eat before you hit the boardwalk.

If you can, try to have a healthy dinner before you stroll the boardwalk at sunset. Not only will you avoid greasy and fatty fried foods for dinner, you’ll get some exercise after dark.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

If you’ve spent the entire year dreaming about having a funnel cake at your favorite local carnival, go for it! But do it wisely. Share it with a couple of other people. You’ll still get the taste, but without all the calories. Also, remember that one funnel cake has almost 800 calories and 44 grams of fat.

Do keep journaling and tracking your food.

One of the great things about tracking your food and calories is that is keeps you accountable of everything that goes in your mouth. If you want that funnel cake and want it all for yourself, just make sure you account for the 800 extra calories you’re eating.

Do choose pizza over cheese fries.

Sure pizza may not be the healthiest thing to eat when you are trying to lose weight, but compared to corn dogs, nachos, cheese fries and other traditional theme park fare, pizza isn’t too shabby. Try to choose vegetable toppings and avoid high-fat toppings like pepperoni and sausage.

Don’t waste calories on cotton candy.

Cotton candy has absolutely no nutritional value – it’s all spun sugar with a bit of food coloring to make it look fun. But the good news is that there aren’t too many calories (about 200) and it has 0 grams of fat.

Don’t pick fried.

It probably goes without saying, but fried foods can sabotage any diet. What’s worse is there seems to be a trend of “fried anything” at carnivals and theme parks. Fried Oreos®, Twinkies®, pickles – you name it, and someone has tried to fry it. While it’s tempting to see what these things taste like, try to remember that cravings don’t last forever.

If you can walk past the fried Oreos, you’ve won the battle.

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