After attending the Central Alabama Fair once, twice or every day this week, most people enjoyed the salty, greasy or sugary snacks of the fair.

The moment a Cozy dog, deep-fried Snickers bar or candy apple touches the taste buds, the warmth of the grease or the chill of an apple envelops the senses. In that instant, the heavenly blessing of comfort food shines down upon us mere mortals.

Well, until later that night. That’s when the heartburn and weight of the unhealthy treats unsettles the stomach.

Thank goodness fairs do not post calorie information beside the menu, because I’d rather not think about the empty calories I’m consuming while at the fair.

(Otherwise I would not have eaten a Cozy dog and small bag of cotton candy for dinner on Wednesday evening.)

A deep-fried Snickers has 445 calories and 29 grams of fat, deep-fried Twinkie has 420 calories and 34 grams of fat, funnel cake has 760 calories and 44 grams of fat, corn dog has 460 calories and 19 grams of fat, small bag of cotton candy has 175 calories and zero grams of fat and a candy apple has 215 calories and zero grams of fat.

Remorseful for a gluttonous food choice, I turn to the one thing that always makes me feel better: junk food detox. The junk food detox, an unofficial diet I follow post-gluttonous evenings, rids the body of toxins, i.e. greasy foods, and makes my overall eater’s remorse fade from my memory.

To flush the junk food from the body, water is man’s best friend. Drinking water will fill your stomach without added calories. Also, try to stray from anything with lots of salt because salt holds water in the body, which will make you feel even larger or bloated, neither of which are good feelings.

I try to make healthier choices the next day, eating a bowl of cereal or soup. The key is to take it easy. Just like muscles need a day of rest after an intense workout, so does your stomach. Give your body a break from the calorie-packed days so it can recover and be ready for the next time the fair comes to town.

So enjoy the Cozy dog or funnel cake — just remember to detox the next day.

Laura Fenton is the education and general assignment reporter for the Times-Journal. She can be reached at 410-1744 or laura.fenton@selmatimesjournal.com.