Since this is my third post on the subject, you may have figured out by now that I LOVE the Minnesota State Fair. I love the people, love the shows, love the animals and LOVE the food (And drinks too :)). If you’re wondering how a dietitian manages to eat at the fair, then be sure to check out my first blog post on Healthy Eating at the State Fair and my TV Segment live from the fair this year. The purpose of this post is for me to vent about things that were on my heart and mind over the past 12 days of the fair. Thanks for reading mine and I’d love to hear your thoughts on any or all of these musings in the comments section below!

A few of my random reflections from this year’s State Fair rendezvous:

Musing #1: Don’t believe everything you’re told at the Health Fair. Or any health fair for that matter. It’s the same old outdated conventional wisdom that causes the same old FRUSTRATION in me (i.e. boiling blood!). I thought it would be fun to get my body fat percentage and bone mineral density measured. I’m not a big fan of numbers (calories, BMI, etc.) but every now and then it’s somewhat amusing to see how I measure up. My bone mineral density screening and (lack of) risk factors placed me in the low risk category for osteoporosis, but I was scolded for having too low of a body fat percentage and BMI. I was also given a 1272 daily calorie limit (*$%*#!?) and was encouraged to consume soy protein (stay tuned for a blog post on THAT) and several servings of dairy each day for adequate calcium intake (spinach, broccoli, almonds, or My Sweet Kale Salad, anyone??). I was sent away with a handout and according to said handout, the NUMBER ONE step to preventing osteoporosis is… (drumroll, please): A balanced diet rich in calcium, vitamin D and SOY based protein (sneak peek to my upcoming blog post on soy: We DON’T need it for strong bones!). Below is another clip of the “Healthy Lifestyle Improvement” (nonsense) advice from the Heath Fair booth (the smaller meals more frequently part is fine — it’s the demonizing FAT and CALORIES I’m not loving).

The only positive thing I have to say about the handout is I appreciate that they make a point to mention the importance of using pharmaceutical grade supplements because they dissolve and are absorbed easily, and the purity is guaranteed, whereas this is not the case for cheap OTC supplements. I couldn’t agree with this more — if taking calcium, vitamin D or any other supplements, it is ever important to take a pharmaceutical grade one instead of wasting money on ones that aren’t even absorbed. <Rant done and link to my store with only pharmaceutical grade supplements here.>

In conclusion, I’m definitely not placing a lot of weight on my result from the Health Fair. And for the record, I’m not looking to be consoled or reassured that I am at a healthy weight (I am!), but shared my personal results with you as yet ANOTHER example of why it is wise for us to always be on the defense and not place all our eggs in one basket (our healthcare system).

Musing #2: I was saddened as I looked at how apparent it is that MANY people don’t understand how to maintain a healthy weight and/or believe misconceptions about healthy nutrition.  My heart ached as I looked around at the massive amount of overweight and obese people. I had to bite my tongue when I heard a little boy at the milk stand ask his mother what skim milk is and she responded with “Same thing as regular milk but it doesn’t have the yucky fat.” (For the record, I LOVE fat and HATE skim milk and I decided to keep my mouth shut for 2 reasons: 1) It didn’t seem appropriate for me to chime in on a conversation that I overheard and 2) People don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.) Back to my heart aching from the misinformation: I guess after everything I just hashed out in above paragraph, this shouldn’t be a surprise. When trusted places like the Health Fair building are spewing out information that is downright wrong, it’s no wonder people are confused about nutrition and health. Makes sense but still extremely frustrating, wouldn’t you agree?

Musing #3: I was irritated with parents bribing children with bad food as a way to improve their behavior. I saw a mother dangling an orange bag of Cheetos as a bribe to her curious son who was interested in something other than her. Another parent trying to take a picture of her crabby son told him she would buy him mini donuts AND cheese curds if he would just smile at the camera, dangit! Guess what? He forced a smile quicker than I’ve ever seen anyone force a smile. Bribing kids with bad food as a way to improve their behavior is in itself, contradictory to me. As someone who worked with kiddos every day in my former job at the children’s hospital, I KNOW children behave better when they don’t consume processed, sugary foods. That being said, I do not have my own children and in no way do I mean to put down any parents with this musing. These are simply my thoughts as a Registered Dietitian who yearns to improve the quality of life of both adults and children alike.

Musing #4: I still ate PFC (and quite clean, relatively speaking). Although I did a segment on my favorite SPLURGES at the fair, keep in mind that during said segment I mentioned I’ll get one or two of these splurges each day I attend (side note: if my splurge is Beergaritas, then I’ll definitely lean on the 2, maybe even 3, side…). What else do I eat? I fill up with chilled shrimp, fresh NON-FRIED cheese curds, corn on the cob with butter, giant Colorado peaches and cinnamon coated almonds. (PFC!) And as crazy as it sounds that I spent 12 hours walking around the fair the day before I ran a half marathon, I felt GREAT the morning of the race (and raced well too)! Pictured is my 10 hours pre-half marathon bedtime snack. You know I’m always preaching the importance of fat and carbohydrate before bed (no protein because protein can interfere with sleep, but fat and carbs to stabilize blood sugar levels for optimal sleep and hormonal balance — more on that here.). So, even at the Minnesota State Fair, I still abided by my fat + carb rule for bedtime snacks with my cheese curds from the Dairy Building and  fresh Colorado peach. 🙂

Musing #5: I have a love/hate relationship with the pull-up bar at the Marine Booth. But who doesn’t right? 🙂 The first time I tackled the arm hang was my first day at the fair this year. It was 90 degrees fahrenheit and I had already been walking around the fair for half the day when I decided to do it on a whim. I held it for 95 seconds (and still think I could have broken 100 had I known just how close I was!) I made the leader board, but was determined to come back on a different day with high hopes of  beating my personal record and breaking 100. I had the best of intentions on Sunday, but it didn’t happen. Lesson learned: Next time go for the record BEFORE drinking Beergaritas. (What was I thinking!?!?)

Musing #6: My favorite meal at the fair is breakfast. No joke. (And maybe that’s not a surprise since it may have something to do with my obsession with eggs.) There are just SO many places on the fairgrounds that offer tasty versions of eggs for breakfast! On the right is the best breakfast deal I’ve found at the fair from Tejas Express (same place I get my beloved Beergarita!). Texas ranch eggs: scrambled eggs (protein), cheese (fat), onions, peppers and black beans (carbohydrates).  It was $5 and came with free coffee! Another favorite of mine is from French Meadow Bakery and Cafe. I skip the sugary (fruit) scones and go straight for the egg breakfast. They use organic eggs, nitrate free bacon, swiss cheese and fresh tomato (PFC, anyone!?).

As I mentioned above, I LOVE enjoying a splurge or two, but I certainly don’t splurge all day because I know it would make me feel awful. All of this being said, I know I’m not perfect either. 🙂

(Evidence.)

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