Fried Kool-Aid seduces fair-goers but scandalizes health police

(CBS) Kool-Aid's probably isn't anyone's idea of a health food - especially since obesity experts started warning that sugary beverages can make people fat. But what would the health police have to say about fried Kool-Aid balls?

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That's right, fellow citizens. As the TIME NewsFeed reported, "Chicken" Charlie Boghosian - the man who gave us deep-fried Coca-Cola, the deep-fried peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich (a riff on Elvis' favorite), deep-fried spam, and other innovative fare - has found that flour and hot oil can transform Kool-Aid from a sugary drink into a yummy treat.

Or, if you wear a health police badge, a high-calorie, artery-clogging fat bomb.

Fried foods of the sort served up at county and state fairs get the thumbs-down not just from obesity specialists but also cardiologists. The American Heart Association urges people to limit their intake of deep-fried foods, noting that they contain saturated and trans fats that can raise the risk for heart disease by increasing levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Given how yummy the stuff is, it's just not fair.