How Eating Out Contributes to Childhood Obesity
Yesterday I read an appalling oped article in USA Today about the difficulty of making healthy food choices when eating out in restaurants. Most restaurants do not list the nutritional information of their menu items. So how do you know if you are making a good choice?
You don’t. But, hey, eating out is a bit of a splurge – right? Go out, enjoy, don’t worry too much about the calories, tomorrow you can make up for it by exercising or eating salad.
If you have the same philosophy, you will be just as shocked as I was when I read about the extreme fat content of some items on children’s menus. No wonder childhood obesity is becoming epidemic.
In particular, USA Today singled out Romano’s Macaroni Grill. On the children’s menu at Romano’s Macaroni Grill, there is an entree called Kids Double Macaroni and Cheese. Again, according to the USA Today article the nutritional information for this choice includes:
1200 calories, 3450 milligrams of sodium and as much saturated fat as you would find in 40 strips of bacon.
40 Strips of bacon!!? To me, that is just plain irresponsible on the part of the restaurant. How can a business take my money and feed my children artery blocking food that contributes to childhood obesity, without even informing me of the nutritional information? This food needs a warning sticker not a nutrition label!
If you think that this is isolated to Romano’s Macaroni Grill – sadly, it is not. What should be an enjoyable family night out, now leaves parents stressed and uncertain. And political pressure from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) is blocking legislation that would require restaurants to report nutritional information on their menus.
We have heard, ad nauseum, that American adults and their children are getting heavier. Childhood obesity is on the rise. As a parent, our first line of defense is our own pantries. Shop for and offer healthy foods to the kids. But seldom do we worry about that one dinner out each week, each month, etc. Now it is time to take note.
If you plan to eat at a major chain, check their website before you go to see if the nutritional information is listed. If not, use your best judgment – teach your children about making good food choices and continue to foster a love of healthy foods in the home.
UPDATE: One of the hardest things about raising kids is feeding them – here are some tips for making healthy lunches
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Almost as frightening as the 40 strips of bacon are the 3,450 milligrams of sodium! Are they trying to kill kids??
I had no idea this kind of thing was occurring. It’s wonderful that you’re spreading the word. I’m a children’s physical activity specialist, and I’m always proclaiming the importance of balancing energy out (calories burned) with energy in (calories consumed), but children would have to run a marathon to burn off that kind of energy consumption.
Rae,
I, too, was shocked at the over the top caloric and fat values of this entree. In a day and age when childhood obesity is making headlines daily, restaurants should know better than to serve something so unhealthy.
Thank you for leaving a comment – and also for your work as a children’s physical activity specialist. Movement and exercise is something that kids need to learn at a young age and develop into habit. It is essential for a healthy and happy future.
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