Deep-fried Oreos? Deep-fried candy bars? I had NO idea such things existed. I guess fair food in my area just isn't that exotic. Either way, you've got to know that if you take a piece of junk food, roll it in batter, and dunk it in oil, it's going to be just about as bad as it gets, right?

Newsweek has the seven unhealthiest fair foods and, really, there are no surprises on the list. No surprises because fair foods never claimed to be healthy in the first place. Still, if you're going to indulge, it's good to know just how much you're in for. So check out their slide show before you hit the midway this summer, and try to balance those once-a-summer treats with a little exercise and healthy eating.

(via The Consumerist)

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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