Summer is here! And for many of us, especially those of us who live in rural-ish areas, that means a trip to the county fair.

Ah, yes, the county fair, home of deep-fried Snickers bars, corn dogs, elephant ears, and so, so much more. Too many folks simply assume that “It wouldn’t be the fair without !” and give themselves permission to gobble every carb in sight, many of them deep-fried in questionable oils, for the duration.

I will, therefore, start by denying that “special occasions” give you a pass nutritionally. Your body neither knows nor cares that you’re at the fair; your blood sugar and inflammation levels will rise as high as the fireworks. Yes, I think that an occasional indulgence can work for some people.

But once you give yourself a pass for one special occasion, it’s amazing how many special occasions appear. “I can have one slice of cake on my birthday” becomes “I have to have cake because it’s my kid’s birthday,” then “It was Sheila’s birthday at the office, and everyone was eating cake, so. . .” In the same way, “It wouldn’t be the fair without cotton candy!” starts to bleed over into, “We’re at the shore for the weekend, I have to have frozen custard!” and “The Robertsons brought such a pretty red-white-and-blue cake to the Fourth of July barbecue, it would be rude not to have some.” Next thing you know, you’re indulging for International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Also, some people can, indeed, have a modest indulgence and be right back on track with the next meal. I do this maybe three times a year with potato chips at a party, potato chips being my personal kryptonite. But many of us are addicted, whether to sugar, to wheat (William Davis, MD opened my eyes to the opioid-like addiction wheat can cause), or to carbs in general. I cannot count the times people have told me that they’d been doing great, lost a ton of weight, made huge strides in their health and energy, and were not even having cravings, until they decided, “I’m on vacation!” or “It’s Christmas!” or whatever other occasion they thought merited a “treat”, only to be sucked right back under. I hear from them ten months and forty pounds later. You must be ruthlessly honest with yourself.

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