Dietitians suggest moderation of fair food

INDIANAPOLIS -- The food at the Indiana State Fair is enough to tempt even the most diligent of dieters, but experts say there are ways to cut calories and still enjoy some treats.\nEat a whole serving of all of the most popular fair foods -- fried tenderloin sandwich, butter-slathered corn or an elephant ear -- and it's easy to consume more than 3,000 calories at one sitting.\nExperts say moderation is the key.\n"The thing that matters to me is how much you eat of it," said registered dietitian Sara Blackburn, who has a doctorate in nutritional sciences and is with the IU School of Medicine. "I eat basically whatever I want. But I don't clean my plate."\nDietitians say planning is one of the keys to enjoying food at the fair without eating three days' worth of calories at one sitting.\n"Identify some foods you know you want to enjoy, and enjoy them," said Rachel Nix, registered dietitian at St. Francis Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Center.\nSharing food also can help reduce the calories, so split that deep fried and battered onion.\n"Remember that the first few bites of any food are really the most satisfying," said Robin Stahl, a registered dietitian with Community Health Network who does outpatient counseling at Community Hospital East. "At the fair, it's just getting those 'tastes' that we get once a year."\nExperts also suggest choosing the grilled versions of foods over the fried or bringing healthy foods from home.\nOther options include seeking out healthy choices such as milk at the Dairy Bar, soy nuts offered by the Indiana Soybean Board and fresh fruit, tossed salads and tuna sandwiches at the Marsh Agriculture/Horticulture Building.