Carnival Food 101

Does it feel like all we’re ever digesting is bad news? We’re becoming wary of almost everything our kids touch, from plastic containers to the pears we pack them for snacks.

With summer comes carnival food, those oh-so-irresistible treats we remember from our own childhood. While there’s nothing wrong with a little indulgence, it helps to know what the kids are sinking their teeth into, before they take a bite.

Step right up, folks. As the ringmaster of your own cast of characters, here’s what you’ll want to know about the food they’ll be begging you to buy this summer.

Cotton Candy
Granted, there’s zero nutritional value, but a standard serving of cotton candy actually contains far less sugar than one can of a regular soft drink (there is only one tsp of sugar in a serving of cotton candy versus 12 in a pop). Since sugar is naturally white, cotton candy gets its colour from artificial dyes and the flavour is usually made from artificial flavouring. Prepare yourself for the sugar high, but other than empty calories (which they’ll probably burn off after a few rounds in the House of Mirrors), cotton candy isn’t a total freak show.
Per 1 oz serving: 114 calories, 0 mg sodium, 0g fat

Corn Dogs
Take a hot dog or sausage, coat it in a thick layer of cornmeal batter (which is made from yellow cornmeal, white flour, shortening, eggs, granulated sugar and salt) and deep fry it in oil. The kids will get almost an entire day’s worth of sodium in one corn dog, so keep the rest of your meals salt-free (easier said than done) if you can.
1 corn dog: 320 calories, 840 mg sodium, 21 g fat

Funnel Cake
You can have your cake and eat it too—just know what you’re getting into. A funnel cake is the sweet equivalent of a Big Mac and fries. First they deep-fry white flour dough, then cover it in sugar, and (if you’re so inclined) top it with cinnamon, whipped cream, ice cream and more.
1 plain funnel cake: 280 calories, 360mg sodium, 9g fat

Pretzels
This may twist your thinking. The soft pretzel, made of water, sugar, salt, flour and salted yeast is usually baked, which is healthier than deep-fried options, and reasonably high in iron. Not bad, right? But take note of the sodium levels which, at 1500 milligrams per baked pretzel, are the highest of any carnival snack on this list. That’s tough for kids to process through their little bodies.
1 large pretzel: 483 calories, 1500mg sodium, 4g fat

Sno Cones
It looks heavenly on a hot day—crushed ice topped with a sweet-tasting syrup. The ice is au-natural, and some vendors use syrups made with real sugar, even organic sugar. More often than not, however, that tantalizing blue or cherry syrup is made with a big dose of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.
7 fl oz sno cone: 30 calories, 5 mg sodium, 0g fat

Popcorn
We’ve heard about movie popcorn for years, and carnival popcorn usually isn’t any different. Corn, cooking oil, ‘butter’ and seasoning salt are cooked in oil (mostly hydrogenated coconut oil, a trans fat). The so-called butter is an artificial flavoring usually made from hydrogenated soybean oil (another trans fat), artificial flavoring, beta carotene for colour, and preservatives. If you can bring food into the fair, popping your own and bringing it along will be a healthier choice. (So would buying them a bag of chips!)
1 large (11 cups) popcorn, no butter: 670 calories, 550mg sodium, 34g fat

How to Avoid the Lion’s Den
The carnival is a walking temptation and you want the kids to have fun. That doesn’t mean you have to say ‘Yes’ to everything when they beg for treats. Here are some ways to limit their desire:

1. Prepare them ahead of time that there will be lots of treats at the fair but they are only allowed one (if you’re OK with that).
2. Fill them up with good stuff in advance.
3. Exercise portion control once they select their carnival treat.
4. Make sure kids stay hydrated with water or watered-down juice.

Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good time. Just use your knowledge as a best defense and your kids will have even more fun without the sugar highs and lows. Tested by Alison R., Toronto

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