So, I made the annual trek to the State Fair of Texas last weekend with a group of good friends. It's a tradition that starts with a Fletchers' corn dog for breakfast. We then make our way through the park to partake of all of the new (and sometimes very strange) fried foods that win the Big Tex Choice awards. Or the ones we're interested in trying, at least. These foods are not by any stretch of the imagination healthy. Or clean. They are poison. Sugary, fried poison. But...it's tradition, and it's once a year. Usually, my reaction to this day of debauchery isn't that bad. One or two days of self-loathing, and then I'm okay. It's usually worth it, or so I tell myself.
This year, it's a little different. Annual Fried Food Day was October 6. On October 7, I woke up with the usual amount of self-loathing, but I also felt generally crummy. I just thought my allergies were flaring up, which they haven't done in a while--something I attribute to (mostly) healthy eating. A couple days later, I was still feeling the ick. So much so that I decided to skip a concert I was really, really looking forward to, because the thought of staying awake past 10:00 and hanging out in a bar gave me a fever spike.
Now? It's October 16, and...I. Am. Still. Sick. Despite drinking my body weight in bone broth. Despite eating cleanly. Despite getting enough rest. Despite upping my consumption of probiotics.
Still. Sick.
What I believe happened was this: eating all of that junk (floury, sugary junk) weakened my immune system. My body, which was hard at work on fixing what I did to it in the span of four hours, then came into contact with something else (like the flu). I work with some people who are a little less enthusiastic about hand washing than I am, so it's anyone's guess, really. All I know is, I was sick, got a little better and went into the office, and am now sicker than sick.
Basically...I'm a walking PSA. Put down the corn dog. I can say with 100% certainty that it's not worth it.
