Calorie Overdose for Parents Who Want Healthy Options for Kids When They Go Out to Eat — They’Ll Find Few Choices

Healthy kids meals at top restaurant chains are slim pickings, according to a report by a nonprofit public health group.

Nearly every possible combination of the children’s meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Sonic and Chick- fil-A are too high in calories, said a report released Monday by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“Parents want to feed their children healthy meals, but America’s chain restaurants are setting parents up to fail,” CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan said in a statement.

“McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and other chains are conditioning kids to expect burgers, fried chicken, pizza, French fries, macaroni and cheese, and soda in various combination at almost every lunch and dinner.”

Restaurant food — which now accounts for one-third of a child’s daily caloric intake — is one of the primary reasons for the nation’s obesity epidemic, experts say.

Sixteen million Californians are considered overweight or obese. And one-third of California’s kids ages 9-11 are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight and are increasingly suffering from type 2 diabetes, pre-hypertension and other nutrition-related conditions.

“People may not get a heart attack until their 50s or 60s, but arteries begin to clog in childhood,” said Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

“Most of these kids meals put America’s children on the fast track to obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and premature death.”

The report looked into the nutritional quality of kids meals at 13 major restaurant chains. The center found that 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories — or one-third of what the National Institute of Medicine recommends that children ages 4-8 should consume in a day.

For example, 658 of the 700 possible kids meal combinations at Chili’s Bar and Grill are too high in calories. One Chili’s meal of fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories, while another of cheese pizza, home-style fries and lemonade contained 1,000 calories.

The “Big Kids” meal at Burger King contains a double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milk — and 910 calories.

While there are some healthy choices on restaurant menus, “parents have to navigate a minefield of calories, fat and salt to find them,” the report said.

Of the 19 restaurants reviewed, 17 include fried chicken on their kids menus, while 12 offer burgers.

Fried potatoes or french fries were offered as a side item at 84 percent of the restaurants. By comparison, fruit was offered at 54percent and vegetables at 42percent of the eateries surveyed.

The report also found that 45percent of children’s meals exceed recommendations for saturated and trans fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and 86 percent of children’s meals are high in sodium.

Subway was the only major chain that didn’t offer soda as a beverage option with its children’s meals. That’s one of the reasons the sandwich shop came out the best among the chains examined in the report.

Only six of Subway’s 18 “Fresh Fit for Kids” meals — which include a mini-sub, juice box, and one of several healthful side items such as apple slices, raisins or yogurt — exceed the 430- calorie threshold.

KFC released a statement saying the chain is “proud to offer a variety of kids meals for those looking for lower-calorie, lower- fat options.” The statement noted that the report’s calculations include baked Cheetos and a biscuit, sides that are no longer offered.

Jack in the Box spokeswoman Kathleen Anthony said while kids meals are not a “significant part of our business,” parents do have several healthy items they can select for their children, such as applesauce and reduced-fat milk.

Calls over the weekend to other restaurant chains in the report were not immediately returned.

The center recommended that restaurants overhaul their menus to reduce the number of high-calorie, high-fat offerings and to add more healthy items like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It also suggested offering fruit and low-fat milk or water rather than french fries and soda as the side orders in children’s meals.

The center also lauded New York and San Francisco for providing nutrition information on menus and menu boards and suggested that other local governments follow suit.

In fact, state Sen. Alex Padilla has already introduced a bill in the California Legislature that would require large chain restaurants to post nutritional information.

“I’m sure these facts in today’s study must be disturbing to parents,” said Padilla. “How’s a parent supposed to know if the kids meal they’re buying offers a calorie overdose?

“My bill, SB 1420, puts the calorie counts right where every parent could see them — on the menu board.”

Many parents have become more savvy about the nutritional value of the food their kids are eating, but say it’s tough to persuade them that salad and yogurt are as delicious as a burger and fries.

Pat Gutierrez of Van Nuys does make the effort, however, treating a group of neighborhood kids to a weekly trip to El Pollo Loco, which specializes in flame-grilled chicken.

But Monday found the group during their monthly lunch at the KFC J at Van Nuys Boulevard and Oxnard Street.

“I figured it was bad,” she said of the new study, “but once in a while you’ve got to come here. It’s the taste.”

Staff Writer Barbara Correa contributed to this report.

(c) 2008 Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.