For better or worse, dining out is the American way. Parents shoehorn dinner in between their work schedules and children’s extracurriculars. Often that means grabbing a bite at the drive-through. But David Zinczenko, author of Eat This, Not That! For Kids, says that’s a problem. Restaurant fare is big on calories, fat and sodium, making it a major player in a host of children’s weight-related issues. Overweight kids are at greater risk than ever for problems like diabetes, heart problems and asthma, among others. Luckily, there are ways to make healthy choices even at your favorite eatery.
General Dos and Don’ts
- Do keep servings small. “Combo” and “value” meals jack up calories and fat. Go à la carte and pay extra for the toy of the week.
- Don’t buy soft drinks. Discuss a no-pop rule before you head out the door and make it stick. Even a 12-ounce Coke adds 110 empty calories to your child’s meal, and the smallest-size shake at Burger King adds 360. Bottom line: Milk or water to drink.
- Do count calories. Zinczenko reports that a child 4 to 8 years old needs only 1,400 to 1,600 calories daily. A McDonald’s Happy Meal (hamburger, small fries and chocolate milk) tops out at 650 calories. You do the math. Be cautious about restaurants that don’t offer nutrition info, and do the research beforehand so you know which places offer good nutritional choices.
- Don’t make it about weight. Emphasize healthy eating, not dieting, in discussions with kids.
Good Fast Food Options
Burgers and Fries
Cheese, mayonnaise and dipping sauces are big calorie and fat caches at burger joints. Burger King’s Whopper Jr. loses 38 percent of its calories and 59 percent of its fat without the cheese and mayo. And look for variety. Wendy’s Junior Cheeseburger, Small Chili and Homestyle Chicken Go Wrap each have fewer than 300 calories—reasonable for small appetites. At McDonald’s, beware the Mighty Kids Meals—they can pack almost half a kid’s daily fat allowance. If your child wants the double hamburger, insist on apple dippers instead of fries for a 130-calorie savings.
Tex-Mex
Taco Bell offers a Fresco menu, which shaves fat and calories by substituting a healthy salsa for the usual cheese and sauce. Again, go for small portions—not the mongo Grilled Stuft Beef Burrito (690 calories, 30g fat). Crunchy tacos and bean burritos have manageable fat and calorie counts for kids. While chicken sounds like a good option, avoid the chicken quesadilla (520 calories) and the Ranchero Chicken Soft Tacos (540 for two). Pintos ‘n cheese are a good side choice, offering fiber and good nutrition for only 160 calories.
Pizza
To keep nutrition high relative to fat, go for thin crust and extra veggies, not extra meat or cheese. Breadsticks, cinnamon bread and cheese-stuffed crust will send fat and calorie totals skyrocketing. And while convenient, buffets encourage gorging on ice cream and fried foods. Insisting on a pre-meal salad can help curb this free-for-all.
Sit-Down Restaurants
Family Style
Kids love Red Robin, Ruby Tuesday’s and Chili’s. But kids’ menus often feature items like crispy chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese and popcorn shrimp. See if your child would eat a junior plate of pasta marinara. Zinczenko claims that “most restaurants” will grill chicken fingers instead of frying them. It’s worth asking. Also, avoid the appetizer platter, which is often higher in fat than the dessert cart and dulls children’s appetites for the entrée.
Chinese Food
With the abundance of good restaurants in Kansas City, Chinese is an attractive dining-out option. But dishes like sweet and sour chicken come deep-fried and drenched in sugary sauces. Balance your meal by enforcing a rule of one fried food only. If kids want crab rangoon—deep-fried dough and cream cheese, a fat phobic’s nightmare—they should order something stir-fried, like moo shu chicken. Order steamed brown rice for the table to add fiber and nutrients to the meal. And again, remember portion size: Ask for to-go boxes up front and halve the portions yourself, boxing up the extra for carryout.
Healthy eating is conscious eating. If you do your research and know what your family is consuming, good choices are bound to follow. Zinczenko’s book Eat This, Not That! For Kids (Rodale Press, $19.95) is available online and in bookstores.
Shawnee writer Claire M. Caterer opts for veggie-only dishes on the weekly Taco Bell run.