The American lifestyle is getting more and
more rushed. Everything has to move fast to keep up with our
jam-packed schedules -- even our meals. Most families eat at
a fast food restaurant at least once a week and many people
find themselves "driving through" several times during the
week. The convenience can't be beat, but there is a
downside. It affects children's weight and overall health.
Are there any
good fast food choices?
Eating high fat, super-sized meals can lead
to our kids gaining too much weight. Our kids are taking in
extra calories from soda and high fat foods and it shows.
Fast food restaurants now offer smaller portions, more
grilled chicken selections, kids meals with a choice of
fruit and milk instead of fries and soda, and creative
salads with bottled waters. If there is no time to cook, you
can order healthy items on the run.
Tips for ordering kid friendly food:
- Order the smaller portion sizes
- Pick milk or water instead of a soft
drink
- Choose grilled chicken items more
often
- Choose fruit instead of fries.
- Ask for mustard and ketchup instead of
mayonnaise or order food plain and request condiment
packets
- Use salad dressing sparingly or ask
for the low-fat or fat-free varieties
- If you are taking the food home, order
entrees only and prepare your own quick side dishes,
served with milk, water, or other low sugar drink.
Making Healthy Fast Food Choices
Typical Kid's Meals:
The McDonald's Happy Meal with a
cheeseburger, small fries, and a 12 ounce soda has 670
calories and 26 grams of fat. The Mighty Kids Meals for
older children offers double hamburgers or cheeseburgers and
a 16 ounce soda. They have 850 calories with 36 grams of
fat. If your child has a Quarter Pounder with cheese, medium
fries, and medium soda, the calories jump to 1100 with 45
grams of fat.
Healthier fast food choices can still be
high in calories, fat, and salt. However, they are a big
improvement over traditional kid's meals. Encourage your
child to have a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger, apple
dippers rather than fries, and low-fat chocolate milk
instead of soda. This adds calcium and reduces the calories
to 530 with 12 grams of fat.
Most restaurants offer many healthy salads.
Salads usually have no more than 200 to 400 calories before
adding the dressing. If your kids like salads, encourage
them to order a salad instead of a burger. Choose the
low-fat or fat-free dressings. Regular dressing can add 200
to 300 extra calories.
The food choices listed below are some of
the lowest in calories and fat offered.
Healthier Fast Food
Choices
Subway
6 inch Veggie Delite 230 calories/3 grams fat
6 inch Turkey Breast 280 calories/5 grams fat
6 inch Ham 290 calories/5 grams fat
Turkey breast wrap 190 calories/6.0 grams fat
Honey mustard Ham
And egg wrap 230 calories/7 grams fat
Berry Lishus Fruizle 110 calories/0 grams fat
Chicken Noodle soup 90 calories/1.5 grams fat
Taco Bell Fresco Style (without cheese or sauce)
Taco - beef 150 calories/8 grams fat
Soft taco - beef 190 calories/7 grams fat
Tostado - regular 200 calories/6 grams fat
Bean Burrito 350 calories/8 grams fat
Cinnamon Twists 160 calories/5 grams fat
McDonald's
Hamburger kids meal with
apple dippers and milk 470 calories/12 grams fat
Small hamburger 260 calories/9 grams fat
Small cheeseburger 310 calories/12 grams fat
Chicken McGrill 370 calories/4.5 grams fat
Small fries 250 calories/13 grams fat
Caesar Salad with
grilled chicken 220 calories/6 grams fat
Hot Cakes (no margarine) 520 calories/8 grams fat
Kiddie cone 45 calories/1 gram fat
Burger King
Tender Grill Chicken sandwich 450 calories/10 grams fat
Whopper Jr. 290 calories/12 grams fat
Small hamburger 290 calories/12 grams fat
Tender grill chicken salad 300 calories/11 grams fat
Strawberry flavored
Apple sauce 90 calories/0 grams fat
Wendy's
Kids meal with hamburger, Mandarin
oranges and 1% chocolate milk 520 calories/11 grams fat
Kid's ham or turkey
and cheese sandwich 245 calories/6 grams fat
Ultimate Chicken Grill 370 calories/8 grams fat
Jr. Hamburger 270 calories/9 grams fat
Large Chili 330 calories/9 grams fat
Jr. Vanilla Frosty 150 calories/4 grams fat
Pizza Hut
Fit and Delicious Menu (1/2 the cheese and leaner toppings)
1 slice 150 calories/4 grams fat
Hand tossed (1 slice, medium pizza)
Veggie Lovers 210 calories/6 grams fat
Chicken Supreme 230 calories/7 grams fat
Pan (1 slice, medium pizza)
Ham 260 calories/11 grams fat
Veggie Lovers 250 calories/11 grams fat
Thin and Crispy (1 slice, medium pizza)
Veggie Lovers 180 calories/7 grams fat
Quartered Ham 180 calories/7 grams fat
Cheese 200 calories/8 grams fat
Chicken Supreme 200 calories/7 grams fat
Pepperoni 210 calories/10 grams fat
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*Sandwiches and salads listed above do not include mayonnaise,
cheese, or salad dressing unless specified.
Where can I
find complete menu and nutrition information?
Most large food chains publish nutrition
analysis sheets that list all menu items, and show total
calories, grams of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and
sometimes, food group portion sizes. Ask for information at
the counter or go online to the restaurant's Web site. The
Web sites often include menus, nutrient lists, and easy to
use calculators so you can see exactly what your children
are eating and where you need to make changes. Some Web
sites also have information about food allergies and
diabetic exchanges. It has never been easier to select fast
food meals to fit a healthy diet.
McDonalds:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html
Burger King:
http://www.bk.com/Food/Nutrition/index.aspx
Wendy's:
http://www.wendys.com/food/index.jsp?country=US&lang=EN
Pizza Hut:
http://www.pizzahut.com/menu/nutritioninfo.asp
Taco Bell:
http://www.tacobell.com
Subway:
http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/index.aspx
We need the convenience of fast foods
sometimes, but we also deserve to have healthy choices. The
industry is changing because the public is demanding it. Do
your part by ordering the healthier choices, so that
companies will continue to offer these foods in the future.
