There's a minor-league ball park near my home. It makes for cheap summer entertainment for my baseball-loving son. Last year, there was a booth set up near the food court that educated kids on healthy eating. But when you ventured into the actual food court area, the choices seemed to consist solely of nachos, hot dogs, and buttery popcorn. Some ballparks even offer all-you-can-eat seats which, for some, leads to even more calories than they would normally consume at the park.

Shape Magazine offers some better alternatives when eating at the ballpark. They also offer suggestions for carnivals, food courts, and movie theaters. Consider food at these outings a rare treat -- often, even the best choices aren't very healthy.

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With summer imminently approaching, and in some places already in full-swing, now seems like a great time to get the skinny on just how fattening food served at carnivals and street fairs can be.

Before I even read the article posted on eDiets I had a sneaking suspicion that elephant ears, which are basically fried dough, were perhaps not the most nutritious of snacks. In fact, I pondered if a low-fat, low-cal option even existed at fairs. Water, perhaps. Maybe cotton candy, although that's made of sugar.

It turns out, according to this article, anyway, that many foods I suspected were not so good for me aren't. I also learned that there are a few options for those of us out there trying to make the most of our carnival experience without all the fat.

For starters, cotton candy is basically sugar and food coloring. While you should be concerned about the amount of sugar you consume (some experts estimate it's over --- pounds per year per American) you needn't worry about fat, trans or otherwise, when eating cotton candy. What makes me more nervous about cotton candy than the sugar is the dye used to color it. Remember that rule about not eating blue food???

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Summer brings outdoor music festivals, carnivals, and county fairs. Along for the ride come funnel cakes, cotton candy, various meats on sticks, and Snow Cones!

What's a health-conscious person supposed to eat at events like these? I've always assumed that Snow Cones were the closest thing to being a dieter's friend, since they're mostly just ice. My body is working so hard to warm up that ice in my stomach, it's probably burning almost as many calories as the Snow Cone contains, right?

Well, that's not quite true. How many calories do you think are in an average 12 oz Snow Cone?

A) 75 calories
B) 150 calories
C) 300 calories
D) 550 calories