This is a must-read article if you’re a parent.
Last year, preschoolers saw 56 percent more ads for Subway, 21 percent more ads for McDonald’s, and 9 percent more ads for Burger King than they did in 2007. And often, they’re bombarded with images of snacks and desserts—children see more than two advertisements each day promoting unhealthy menu items.
Our kids don’t watch much commercial TV (Netflix and PBS only), so they don’t see much in the way of ads for these places… and this makes me glad we don’t. Not that there is anything worth while for kids on the commercial channels.
Then you have these general guidelines for kids, which the IOM (Institute of Medicine, an independent advisory panel to the U.S. government) used to study over 3,000 possible combinations that fast food chains market as kids meals:
Preschool children should consume no more than 410 calories and 544 milligrams of sodium per meal, according to the IOM, compared to 650 calories and 636 milligrams of sodium for elementary school children, and 700 calories and 720 milligrams of sodium for older children.
The result of the study? Not good!
Only 12 kids’ meal combos met the IOM’s nutrition criteria for preschoolers, while 15 met the criteria for elementary kids.
So, what’s the best option? The Veggie Delite at Subway, with no cheese. Apple slices and 100% juice. 285 calories and 295 mg of salt.
The worst? Dairy Queen cheesburger, with french fries, Mountain Dew and chocolate Dilly Bar. 973 calories, 1,450mg of salt and 171 calories from saturated fat. That’s a kid’s meal? Really? That’s beyond bad for ADULTS.
Best and Worst Fast Food Kids Meals – US News and World Report. (via: US News and World Report)
and took off Saturday afternoon for the coast. We landed about 3pm, had dinner and headed for some evening beach time. The girls LOVED the beach instantly, which was a welcome upgrade from last year’s vacation!
