PIGGY POP CORN @ INDIANA STATE FAIR.

The winner in Sunday’s World Ice Cream  Eating Championship at the Indiana State Fair consumed 15.5 pints  in the time allotted.  I won’t tell you his name, because he doesn’t need any encouragement.  Worse yet, he ate 30 hot dogs with buns in 20 minutes for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2015.

You have to wonder why the Indiana State Fair officials would sponsor eating contests, when  faced with the dreary statistics regarding Hoosier Health.   Indiana ranks a low 39^th out of 50 states in overall health rankings. Worse yet, they rank 40^th in obesity and 37^th in diabetes.  Health rankings measure how long healthy people  in all 50 states  live,  and how they  feel.  The ideal ranking would be #1 (Massachusetts).

Not only that, they brag about Fair food such as Dirty Hippie Tots (fried Brussel sprouts) Deep-fried Cheese Curds, and a Double Barrel Burger with three doughnuts, two burgers, bacon and cheese. Yikes! They'd better have some EMT's close by.

American Heart  Association guidelines for a normal individual on a 2000 calorie diet would be 16 grams of saturated fat, maximum.  The winner of Sunday’s ice cream eating contest consumed 2,466 calories in one sitting and 81 grams of saturated fat.  As everyone knows, too much saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart  diseases.

But ice cream is a piker in unhealthy food choices, compared to hot dogs. The individual who ate 30 hot dogs with buns in 2015,  consumed  11,390  calories, and 360  grams of saturated fat.  Worse yet, hot dogs contain nitrates that are linked to cancer.  A  study published in the May 2010 issue of the journal "Circulation" found that consuming processed meats, such as sausage or hot dogs, may increase your chances of developing diabetes or coronary heart disease.

I’m assuming this champion of unhealthy eating is relatively young.  Wonder how long his strong stomach and good health will hold out?  And when will Indiana State Fair officials stop promoting  Deep Fried Sugar Cream Pie and Deep Fried Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches, and start providing a list of healthy foods available at the fair, like they do in Iowa?