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Walk off your favorite State Fair foods
HealthPartners dietitian available to comment on health at the fair
August 24, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - As the Great Minnesota Get-Together begins, State Fair food is on the minds of many Minnesotans. Although many fair-goers look forward to their favorite fair treats, many may not consider their health when consuming corn dogs and cheese curds.
"Burning calories consumed is not an easy feat, especially in large amounts such as those taken in at the fair," said Abigail Katz, health improvement program consultant at HealthPartners. "With numerous factors taken into consideration such as sex, weight, and walk intensity, the average person burns about 0.05 calories per step on a moderately paced walk. On any given day, most Americans take about 3,000 to 5,000 steps, walking off around 200 calories per day."
By taking a moderately paced walk around the streets of the fairgrounds, without weaving through the inside streets, you would cover about two miles, 4,000 steps or 200 calories. Below is a list of steps needed to burn off the calories from some State Fair favorites (all figures are approximations):
| State Fair Food |
Calories in item |
Steps needed to burn calories |
Miles needed to burn calories |
| Corn-on-the-cob |
150 calories |
3,000 steps |
1.5 miles |
| Corn Dog |
260 calories |
5,200 steps |
2.6 miles |
| 33 oz. Regular Soda |
400 calories |
8,000 steps |
4 miles |
| Deep-Fried Snickers |
450 calories |
9,000 steps |
4.5 miles |
| Cheese Curds |
650 calories |
13,000 steps |
6.5 miles |
| Funnel Cake |
720 calories |
14,400 steps |
7.2 miles |
| Giant Turkey Leg |
1,140 calories |
22,800 steps |
11.4 miles |
"Splitting food with another person, eating in moderation or choosing healthy options are easy ways to lower calorie intake and still enjoy some of the fairs food offerings," said Karen Rooney, registered dietitian at Regions Hospital. "And taking a walk will help combat eating that corn dog or corn-on-the-cob."
A HealthPartners dietitian is available to speak about nutrition information, the 10,000 steps program and to provide tips for staying healthy at the State Fair.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
Contact: 952-883-7410
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