NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!
Children’s diets are under the microscope and in my opinion should remain that way for some time. In many ways “we are what we eat” and our kids are what we feed them.
Oh yes… I am guilty of serving and eating “fast food” as well as “convenience foods”. Sometimes a burger from McDonald’s or Kraft’s Mac’n’Cheese just tastes good and fulfills a craving.
I admit to “grandparent” guilt when I take my granddaughter to McDonald’s for a “Happy Meal” and when she requests to make a stop at McDonald’s I actually cringe at what I have done to her taste buds.
Somehow, it makes me feel better if when we go out, we actually sit down in a restaurant and have a server…it seems much more relaxing and special. I enjoy sharing and she does too. But at times we fall prey to the Kid’s Menu because it’s just a kid’s kind of moment and the kiddy menu comes with crayons and characters and games printed on it.
And then… this week, I came across a post from Baby Center.
It was a discussion on Kid’s Menus...I was in shock! Though, I have to say…I have never seen any nutritional info on a kid’s menu… but after reading the discussion from Baby Center…it is pretty obvious why the choice is made not to print this info on the menu. The information could make you sick!
Let’s face it, when we eat out we give up a lot of control…but I will look very carefully at a Kid’s Menu before ever ordering from one in the future.
Here is what was posted on Baby Center….
Outback Steakhouse Kookaburra Chicken Fingers meal with Aussie Fries 1,030 calories 60 g fat 21 g saturated 2,052 mg sodium Fat equivalent: 12 Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts!
Olive Garden Fettuccini Alfredo kids meal 800 calories 48 g fat 30 g saturated 810 mg sodium Saturated fat equivalent: 1.5 full jars of Nutella!
Applebee’s Grilled Cheese with French fries 1,020 calories 54 g fat 17 g saturated 2,170 mg sodium Calorie equivalent: 400 Cheddar Goldfish Crackers. That’s 1.3 full bags!