Are There Healthy Food Choices For Our Kids?

Earlier this year, a not-for-profit public health group released a study highlighting kids’ food choices at fast-food and restaurant chains. The results were less than amazing to look over. Parents have very few healthy choices for their kids. All the kids’ meals at Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Sonic, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Examining the nutritional content of kids’ meals at 13 major restaurant chains, the Center found 93% (of 1,474 total possible meal combinations) far exceed the recommended maximum of 430 calories. The National Institute of Medicine recommends that children should consume no more than 1290 calories in a day.

One of the chain restaurants sampled has 700 possible kids' meal combinations, but 94% of them are too high in calories. One kids’ meal composed of fried chicken tenders, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories. Another included cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade, and came to 1,000 calories. It's no wonder childhood obesity is on the steep climb up (1 in 3 children is overweight or obese).

The "Big Kid's" Meal at Burger King has a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk at 910 calories, and Sonic has a "Wacky Pack" with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries, and a slushie. The report also found that 45% of children's meals exceed recommendations for saturated fat and trans fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and 86% of children's meals are high in sodium.

There are healthy choices, but we still have to be aware of the true amount of calories and salt that the foods contain. Luckily, we live in California where a law was recently passed banning trans fats and hydrogenated oils from use in restaurant food preparation. Unfortunately, with recent budget cuts (and still no state budget passed for the next fiscal year), many schools are cutting kids' recesses and after-school activities. Also, economic hardship is forcing many parents to work longer hours or multiple jobs just to make ends meet, leaving parents with less time to cook meals (75% of fast-food restaurants’ revenue comes from 25% of their clients), to teach their children proper nutrition, or to go outside and play with their kids.

So what can we do? Spend time in the kitchen with your kids. Take time to enjoy yummy foods (vegetables and fruits, whole grains, home-cooked meals), and instill a love for good food at an early age. Let fast-food become a rare “treat” (once or twice a month, instead of after every soccer practice, on the way home from school, when we are too lazy to cook, etc.). Take your children to the grocery store with you, and let them pick out one treat they would like, instead of filling the basket with Twinkies, cookies, candy, or whatever just because you're not sure what they would eat. Childhood obesity is something we have created, and it's something we can fix.