We all love going to our local, county or state fairs. The people watching, the rides, the exhibits and, of course, the food. The smells are hard to avoid and the brightly colored stalls draw us closer to see what all the fuss is about. And there is a lot of fuss. Every year we hear about some new popular fair food that promises to outdo everything we’ve seen before.

The problem is these foods are by and large, going to put a massive dent in your daily calorie intake and in some cases exceeds it.  CalorieKing has done some research on fair food treats and our estimates (as each preparation and sizes vary from fair to fair) confirm your instincts that these fair foods should be look and don’t touch!

O.K., we’re just like you and we want to have fun with friends and family. So if you go to the fair look for what you know will be healthier choices – things like grilled meats and vegetables. As our gallery below shows, these fair foods are pretty darn tempting. If you find you want to indulge in a treat we’ve listed the calories so you can be aware of the impact. Plus, we have an entire list of strategies on how to approach these treats in our companion article “How to Conquer Your Fear of Fair Foods.”  You’ll can and will be food wise before you hit the midway!

Calorie Catastrophes…You Won’t Believe These Fair Foods!

More Fair Food Choices

So you’ve seen the some of the worst that fairs have to offer and hopefully knowing the huge calorie and fat counts will help you remember to steer clear of them – no matter how tempting they are. There are other fair food choices, that we’ve listed below. To be fair, these foods have their fair share of calories, fat, sodium and sugar. If you choose from any item here just remember portion control, writing down your food intake and all your regular habits. Most of all, enjoy!

Popular Fair Food

	Calories	Fat (g)
Specialty Drinks
Shakes, avg. 16 fl. oz.	690	33
Slushie, 16 fl. oz.	260	0
Soft Frozen Lemonade, 12 fl. oz.	300	0
Sno-Cone (incl. 3 oz. syrup)	270	0

Sides

	Calories	Fat (g)
Corn on the Cob, 8”, 16 oz., no butter	200	1
Fry Bread, plain, 7”, 3.7 oz.	390	19
French Fries, 7 oz.	560	24
French Fries, 10 oz.	645	38
Popcorn, 6 oz.	900	48
Soft Pretzel, 4.5 oz.	340	2

Meats/Mains

	Calories	Fat (g)
Chicken, 15 oz. (one half)	740	24
Chicken Taco, 3.3 oz	210	12
Chicken Nuggets, 6	340	17
Corn Dog, Jumbo Size, 6 oz.	375	21
Cup of Chili	280	11
Hamburger, 1/2 lb. 7.5 oz.	670	41
Hot Dog, Foot Long	470	26
Personal Pizza, 7”	670	24
Philadelphia Cheese Steak,13 oz.	680	36
Plain Turkey Leg	1135	54

Desserts

	Calories	Fat (g)
Candied Apple, 7 oz.	330	0
Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana, 5 oz.	240	4
Cotton Candy, Large 2.25 oz.	250	0
Dippin’ Dots, 6 oz. cup	380	20
Frozen Yogurt, small in sugar cone, 14 oz.	475	2
Fudge, 1.5 oz.	200	11
Ice Cream, small in sugar cone, 10 oz.	775	42
Strawberry Crepe, 4.5 oz.	280	14
S’more on a Stick	275	16