French Fries are offered on 84% of the menus.
What are we feeding our kids?
Does a quick stop at a fast food restaurant doom them to a life of obesity?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) today released the results of their investigation into the top 13 restaurant chains (by revenue in 2007) in the United States. According to the Institute of Medicine, children ages four through eight should consume approximately 430 calories per meal. The CSPI sifted through 1,474 possible kids meal choices and found that 93% of the meals exceeded that amount. A number of the choices exceed the limit by almost double. Some of the restaurants studied include KFC, (formerly Kentucky Fried Chicken), Sonic, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Chili’s, Wendy’s, McDonalds, Burger King, Dairy Queen. Arby’s, Denny’s and Subway.
The most common main course on the children’s menus is fried chicken, which was found on 89% of the menus. Next came burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, then macaroni and cheese. Seafood was only on 5% of the menus. French fries are offered on 84% of the menus and soda on 95%. Eighty six percent of the meals were high in sodium.
According to eMedicinehealth.com, Childhood obesity has been on the rise in recent years due to kids watching too much TV, staying on the computer too long, and playing video games. These activities don’t burn many calories and in fact encourage snacking. In addition, the foods children eat have shifted away from fruits, vegetables and whole grains to fast food, possessed snacks and sugary drinks.
Locally various groups are trying to get the message out that eating healthy is important. The Yavapai County Health Department facilitates a program called Food Plus for seniors, post partum women and children under the age of 6. The county partners with Catholic Social Services, the Arizona Department of Health Services and the US Department of Agriculture for the program. There are income restrictions, but their goal is to offer a “variety of foods that help to supplement a balanced diet.” Recipients receive a box of food each month that includes things such as cheese, peanut butter, beans, juice, canned meat, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, potatoes, dry or evaporated milk and cereal. In addition people enrolled in the program can receive coupons good for certain booths at locally run Farmer's Markets from June 1 through September 27th. There are Farmer’s Markets in Prescott, Cottonwood, Chino Valley and Camp Verde.
The Yavapai Regional Medical Center has a Speakers Bureau and one of the topics they cover is “Eat Healthy. Live Healthy.” This speech covers things such as reading labels on food, healthy fats, keys to weight management and Nutrition Away from Home. The Yavapai County Health Department also has speakers that will travel to schools to give presentations on nutrition. Clearly there are large organizations trying to get healthy eating strategies out to the public.
So, how important is keeping your child’s weight down? What’s a little “baby fat?” eMedicine says, “obesity is now among the most widespread medical problems affecting children and adolescents living in the United States and other developed countries.” As children get older, the problem can lead to serious health problems. Though the definition of “obese” in children is still not standardized, the medical problems that can result are. Aside from the social problems, obese children are more likely to be obese when they are adults, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. They are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus and high cholesterol.
Part of the problem with choosing the healthiest food for your children is lack of knowledge. New York City requires that it’s restaurants practice “menu labeling” which means all the calorie information is posted, including the big menu boards on display at fast food restaurants. The CSPI feels that all restaurants should start with that simple addition to their menus. They cite a New York City Department of Health study of 7,000 diners. Only 5% of the diners said they saw the calorie information that the restaurants had posted on their websites, brochures, posters or kiosks. The main communication venue for restaurants is their menus.
Sometimes the lower calorie choices aren’t very evident, even to parents. For example, their study sites the following items:
Dairy Queen cheese quesadilla: 170 calories versus grilled cheese sandwich: 320 calories
KFC extra crispy drumstick: 160 calories versus the popcorn chicken: 290 calories.
Chili’s mandarin oranges: 70 calories versus cinnamon apples: 210 calories
Subway’s apple slices: 35 calories versus the raisins: 140 calories.
Chili’s Rib Basket: 370 calories versus the Chicken Crispers: 590 calories
The calories add up. Especially for children’s smaller bodies.
The Disney theme parks have started having healthy options such as fruit, vegetables, low-fat milk and water as the default side dishes in their restaurants instead of french fries and soda in their children’s meals. They have found that 70% of parents will stick with the healthy default options on the menu.
The study also highlights some of the worse high calorie children’s meals. They include:
Chili’s country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk: 1020 calories
KFC’s popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, fruit punch and Teddy grahams: 940 calories
Sonic’s grilled cheese, fries and slushie: 830 calories
Subway fared best in the study with only 33% of their children’s meal combinations exceeding the 430-calorie limit. One hundred percent of the children’s meals at KFC, Sonic, and Jack in the Box, Cick-fil-A and Taco Bell exceeded the calorie limit.
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