Study: Most kids’ fast-food meals have too many calories
Restaurants with high-calorie kids’ meals included Taco Bell and Jack in the Box
Eighty-six percent of restaurant kids’ meals are high in sodium, the report said
Children get a third of their daily calories from eating out
Parents looking for healthy meal choices for their children are likely to find slim pickings on the menus of the nation’s top restaurant chains, according to a report released Monday by a nonprofit public health group.
Nearly every possible combination of the children’s meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, the report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest said.
The report looked into the nutritional quality of kids’ meals at 13 major restaurant chains. The center found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories — an amount that is one-third of what the National Institute of Medicine recommends that children ages 4 through 8 should consume in a day.
For example, Chili’s Bar and Grill has 700 possible kids’ meal combinations, but 658, or 94 percent, of those are too high in calories. One Chili’s meal composed of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories, while another composed of cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade contained 1,000 calories.
The report recommends restaurants:
• Reformulate their menu items to reduce calories, saturated and trans fat, and salt, and add more healthy items like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Make fruit or vegetables and low-fat milk or water the default sides instead of French fries and soda for children’s meals.
• Provide nutrition on menus and menu boards. New York and San Francisco are among the cities and localities that have adopted menu labeling policies.
Other restaurant chains included in the report are Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Arby’s and Denny’s.
Six leading restaurant chains — Applebee’s, TGIFriday’s, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and IHOP (International House of Pancakes) — weren’t included in the report because they do not disclose nutrition information about their meals even when asked, the center said.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
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September 20th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
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September 20th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
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