Where to Find Healthy Food Options at the State Fair of Texas (Comes With a Printable PDF)

Posted on October 8th, 2012 11:01am by Carol Shih
Filed under Health Food, State Fair, State Fair of Texas

Greek salad (right); fruit cup (left) photos by Desiree Espada

On a recent romp through the State Fair, I’ve discovered that it is possible to eat healthy foods there, contrary to popular belief. You just have to know where to find them between the stalls of endless fried-to-death junk.

Most people who avoid contracting fried fooditis go for the usual suspects: turkey legs, pickles, hot dogs and hamburgers. These are all safe options. They’re not exactly low on calories (except for pickles), but they work. At least they’re edible, right?

Lucky for all you healthy eaters out here, 2012 will be known as the year the State Fair of Texas actually has tasty non-fried options. This year, for instance, Good Karma Kitchen and SlushWorks teamed up to create an anti-fried food menu inside the Food & Fiber Pavilion that features a gluten-free cheddar cornbread cake on top of sweet baked beans.

The Food Court also has the highest concentration of healthy food options. Inside this building, there’s Greek salad, blackeyed pea soup, savory and sweet crepes, and rotisserie chicken for less than 20 coupons each.

Jump for the list of healthy options (with a printable pdf created by our favorite web designer Charlotte Tobin).

 

Click here for the printable pdf version.

14 comments

  1. [...] p.m. And if you’re planning a trip to the fair anyway, check out Carol’s compilation of healthier food options (with a printable, pretty [...]

    @ 11:38 am on October 8, 2012

  2. wow! had pretty much given up on attending. may have to try now. :) thanks!

    @ 12:03 pm on October 8, 2012

  3. Why didn’t you include the jerked tofu and curried potato chick pea roti from the Caribbean Food booth near the Old Mill? They have the best selection of more health minded foods.

    @ 12:14 pm on October 8, 2012

  4. [...] rest is here: Where to Find Healthy Food Options at the State Fair of Texas … This entry was posted in Healthy Food by Donald. Bookmark the [...]

    @ 12:53 pm on October 8, 2012

  5. Add Madame Butterfly in the Texas Discovery Gardens. You don’t have to pay admission to grab a fruit slush or sandwich. Stopped for a cool one Friday to enjoy while viewing the snakes and tarantulas and Madagascar hissing roaches nearby.

    @ 1:09 pm on October 8, 2012

  6. @Kim – Yes! I need to go back and try Madame Butterfly’s sandwiches.

    @ 3:28 pm on October 8, 2012

  7. Thank you!
    Maybe next year the State Fair will have a tasty, healthy
    food contest as well as the fried one? How about getting those Cooper Nutritionists involved? Or am I dreaming?

    @ 4:08 pm on October 8, 2012

  8. [...] healthy while enjoying the rides and the midway is huge for many of Dallas’ residents.  D Magazine’s ‘Side Dish’ has put together a great list of healthy (and some even g… Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]

    @ 9:55 pm on October 8, 2012

  9. Good Karma Kitchen and slush works is also serving up all natural slushes with Texas based fruits and herbs. We also have a deconstructed tamale with bloody Mary relish and a Texas peach and vodka cake! We feel honored the Go Texan program asked us to be the healthy option and to allow our locally focused menu to bring light to our farmers awesome products.

    @ 11:47 am on October 9, 2012

  10. [...] the midst of composing my list of healthy options at the State Fair of Texas, I completely forgot that there is, in fact, a separate Texas State [...]

    @ 11:04 am on October 10, 2012

  11. Wh yeven bother going to the state fair if you’re not going to eat the fried food? I mean, I hardly ever even eat fried food (I’m thin and work out on a regular basis), but when you go to the state fair, come on! Not eating fried food at the state fair is like going to the best bbq restaurant in Texas and only ordering beans. You’re at a bbq restaurant…get the brisket!

    @ 11:56 am on October 10, 2012

  12. [...] don’t forget, our healthy food list at the State Fair is also available to print [...]

    @ 2:40 pm on October 12, 2012

  13. Wow, I had no idea this was even possible! Thanks for the info…that fruit cup looks DELISH!

    @ 11:44 am on October 13, 2012

  14. [...] fair. I hope you’ll join me there. If you visit the traditional fair as well, check out this list of healthy food at the fair, much of which is vegan. This entry was posted in texas, veganmofo and tagged State [...]

    @ 11:47 am on October 19, 2012