Top 9 Healthy Foods OC Fair
When you think of a fair, some of the common thoughts that come to mind are fried food, cotton candy, carnival rides, and games. Typically you don’t really think of a fair as a place for the health nut to enjoy. This past weekend, I was able to go to the Orange County Fair, and it was an incredible experience! With my husband and I both being advocates for healthy living and eating, we were thrilled with how the OC Fair catered to those who want to eat healthier, as well as those who want to indulge in more traditional “fair food”. I’ll get to my favorite healthy food list shortly, but first I had to touch upon all of the fun activities we were able to do with my 18 month old daughter.
Family Fun Activities and Bonding
We first started off our trip by venturing into the Millennium Barn. Our daughter Amelia is a huge animal lover, so we spent a good chunk of our time here. I especially loved that they had farmers giving educational talks to the crowds, their passion for the animals they cared for really showed through.
Farmer giving an educational talk about an ox.
There were cows, oxen, sheep, goats, pigs, bunnies, chickens, geese…I’m even perhaps forgetting a few, the animal portion of the fair was quite large. There were kind workers around who were helping show Amelia how to pet the animals gently.
Next, we headed over to the Centennial Farm area, a large vegetable garden. This was a great spot to cool off and find some shade!
Since Orange County is such a suburban area, it’s not very often you get to walk around vegetable gardens, so this was a very neat experience to be able to show kids what their food looks like while it’s growing. They also had interesting signs posted around that told you about growing the produce, as well as the best ways to store it. There were some tips on the signs that I hadn’t known about before, so it was really helpful information to learn how to keep my produce fresh for longer periods of time!
Next to Centennial Farm, they had an area featuring people’s prized produce! This was another interesting aspect in learning about agriculture since there were many types of fruits and vegetables I had never seen or heard of before.
Also at the fair was an incredible woodworking and craft exhibition hall, again some of the trades I hadn’t heard of before, so it was very interesting to see the unique hobbies and talents of those just right here in Orange County.
Top 9 Healthy Foods OC Fair
After checking out the farms, we headed for my list of top 9 healthy foods at the OC Fair! I couldn’t believe how many food stands there were, the options were nearly endless! I feel my best and most energized when I eat healthy, so we went in intending to find the healthiest food options; not only for ourselves but to pass along the information to my fellow health nut readers!
1) Grilled Corn
The grilled corn is offered almost everywhere at the fair! You can smell it before you even see it, and is roasted to perfection! They are incredibly large too, so great for a couple out on a date who want to share it together.
2) Veggie & Mediterranean Crepes
This crepe stand was in the center courtyard in between all of the product exhibition halls. They looked delicious! And although I don’t know the sugar or fat content of the crepes, they seemed to mostly be jam-packed with veggies, so a great alternative for those looking for a healthier fair option.
3) Greek Food
I have eaten at this stand in other fair years, and it’s a great value! They have options like the grilled chicken pita, grilled chicken kabobs, and Mediterranean salad as healthy food choices.
4) Dole Whips
Dole Whips, being vegan and mostly fruit, previously made it on my healthy Disneyland food list I created. The incredible Dole whip is also featured prominently at the fair, with numerous stands around. Normally you only get an umbrella in your whip at Disneyland if you order the Dole whip float, I loved that the fair gave you an umbrella just in the regular whip!
5) Smoothies
The Maui Wowi stand had a good selection of fat-free and all-natural smoothies, perfect for those hot fair days!
6) Grilled Chicken Kabobs
These grilled chicken kabobs also had many locations, and smelled amazing! They are very large though, so if you’re wanting to eat lighter I recommend splitting. My husband tried this and said it was grilled to perfection.
7) Fajita Bowl
No, this picture isn’t referring to the Nachos Deluxe! But Noel’s Bowl looked like a very tasty healthy option, filled with grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, rice, and cilantro. This stand was near the woodworking and crafts exhibition hall.
8) Orange Julius
I loved that the OC Fair had an Orange Julius stand! Orange Julius feels kind of vintage to me, so it felt cohesive with the kitschy past time vibe of a fair. This stand is located near the giant “OC Fair” sign by the blue main entrance gate.
9) Grilled Corn Kabobs
I saved my favorite for last–the corn and veggie kabobs! These were sold at almost all of the grilled chicken kabob stands, and I loved that there was a vegetarian kabob menu option. These had amazingly sweet corn, were charred to perfection, and guilt-free!
OC Fair Recap
After checking out the food, games, and rides, we cooled off a little at the splash pad at the fair!
Between strolling around looking at all of the food stands and rides, petting animals, admiring the exhibit halls, walking through the gardens, and playing in the splash pad, my little one took a long, peaceful nap.
Our time at the OC Fair was the perfect family summer outing, and we can’t wait to go back again next year! I would love to hear about your OC Fair experience, too! Did you try any of the foods on this list? Did you find any other great healthy alternative finds?
You can share your photos of your fair fun on social media, and use the hashtags #ocfair and #ocfairface
The OC Fair is now open, and runs until August 15th, you can purchase tickets and get more information here.
