Fast Food is still bad
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington DC advocacy group, released a study that says fast food is still bad for your children. Why this is news is beyond me, since fast food restaurants (despite their image friendly healthy attempts at offering grilled options) specialize in deep-fried, high sodium, high calorie, sugar-laden meals. Here are some highlights from an article on WebMD.
CSPI’s researchers, led by Margo G. Wootan, the center’s nutrition policy director, assessed the nutrition of children’s meals from 13 different restaurant chains.
They looked at all the possible children’s meal combinations — all the ways that an entree, side item, and beverage could be combined — and came up with 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains.
Then they compared the options with a set of nutritional standards. The meal should not have more than one-third of the daily requirement for the average child aged 4-8, or not more than 430 calories. Fat should not be more than 35% of calories, with saturated and trans fat no more than 10% of calories. They looked at added sugars and sodium, with cutoffs for each.
Ninety-three percent of the 1,474 options had more than 430 calories, they found. Forty-five percent of the options were too high in saturated and trans fat, and 86% were too high in sodium.
Five meal choices earned CSPI’s “Hall of Shame” award. On that list:
· Chili’s country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples, and chocolate milk, with 1,020 calories
· Chili’s cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade, with 1,000 calories
· KFC’s popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, fruit punch, and Teddy Grahams, with 940 calories
· Burger King’s double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk, with 910 calories
· Sonic’s grilled cheese, fries, and slushie, with 830 calories
The group did find some meals that weren’t all that bad.
* Subway’s ham mini sub with juice box and apple slices or raisins; roast beef mini sub and juice box with any side, including apple slices or raisins or yogurt; turkey mini sub and juice box with apples slices or raisins or yogurt
* Chili’s grilled chicken sandwich with apple juice and corn kernels (or mandarin oranges or pineapple)
* Denny’s pancakes without meat, with maple syrup; macaroni and cheese, and grapes
* Arby’s popcorn chicken or junior roast beef sandwich with fruit cup and fruit juice
The group made some overall recommendations for restaurants offering meals for children.
The solution, says Jacobson, is an overhaul of existing menu items to reduce overall calories, fat, and sodium and to increase options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Another recommendation, he says, is to make fruit or vegetables and low-fat milk or water the default side dishes instead of french fries and soda for the kids’ meals. Disney does this in its theme parks, Jacobson tells WebMD, and it has been successful, with more than 70% of parents choosing the healthier options when those are the default offering.
Restaurants should routinely post nutrition information on menus and menu boards, as is required by policies passed in New York City, San Francisco, Portland, Ore., and elsewhere, he says.
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