Eating Healthy at an Amusement Park

At first you couldn’t be more excited for summer. That means picnics, long days full of sun and best of all amusement park season! With that comes the anxiety of maintaining your healthy lifestyle progress you’ve been working on since January. Summer is supposed to be easier to lose weight because we can get outside and get moving, but then it seems almost harder with all of the new food choices that pop up every weekend between family picnics and local fairs. Well today we are going to talk about how to enjoy things like the cuisine at amusement parks and airs and maintain those goals you’ve been working on the last few months. Here are some tips to remember:

1. You’re getting in a ton of steps! Even though the food options may be challenging, just remember how much physical activity you’re getting in. Throw your smartphone in your pocket to keep track or grab an inexpensive pedometer from a local store to really push yourself to get to those 10,000 steps for the day
2. Don’t forget about sharing. Park or fair day means a lot of food options. Share your meals with two to three other people. That way you’re eating small amounts, but still getting to try all of the new goodies.
3. Go in with a plan. If possible, try and plan your meals out before you get to the park or the fair. Plan for a healthy, low calorie meal at some point. Then make sure those higher calorie snacks or meals are the ones you’re sharing with others.

Now that we have some tips to follow on the day of, let’s talk about some of the options that will help you to stay on track with your weight loss goals.

Healthier Food Choices:

• Fresh fruit – Fresh fruit cups make a filling snack in between meals.
• Grilled chicken sandwich – If you skip the bun and the mayo, you’ll make this choice even healthier.
• Popcorn – Ask for no butter and salt and you have a great low-calorie snack!
• Grilled corn on the cob – Skip the butter and salt for a healthier snack option.
• Hot dog – This may not be the most nutritious choice, but when everything else is fried, a hot dog can be a better alternative.
• Chicken or beef kebabs – Meat on a skewer is often lean, and may even come with veggies!
• Italian ice or snow cone – Opt for one of these icy treats to satisfy your dessert craving. They’re lower in calories than soft-serve ice cream and other high-fat temptations.
• Lean meats – Try to find things like grilled chicken or turkey to help keep those calories down