Top restaurant chains offer childrens' meals high in calories, fat, salt
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - Johns Hopkins University recently shared with the Navajo Nation Special Diabetes Project (NNSDP) statistics that shows 51 percent of Navajos are obese and the majority of Navajos do not have access to healthy foods. Johns Hopkins University is working with NNSDP in promoting healthy stores on the Navajo Nation in an effort to have more healthy foods available.
"Trying to educate the Navajo people about healthy eating is a major challenge for all health-related entities on the Navajo Nation," stated Robert Nakai, NNSDP Program Manager.
"We cannot turn the tide of our fight against diabetes until parents have control of what their children eat, as well as having children telling their parents what is healthy. Recent reports in health publications show that we are fighting a real battle every time we take our families out to eat," he added.
Nakai is referring to a report by a nonprofit health group in August which shows that parents looking for healthy meal choices for their children are likely to find slim pickings on the menus of the nation's top restaurant chains.
Nearly every possible combination of childrens' meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box, and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, the report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest said.
The report looked into the nutritional quality of kids' meals at 13 major restaurant chains. The center found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at the 13 chains exceed 430 calories - an amount that is one-third of what the National Institute of Medicine recommends that children ages 4 through 8 should consume in a day.
For example, Chili's Bar and Grill has 700 possible kids' meal combinations, but 658 of those (about 94 percent) are too high in calories. One Chili's meal consisting of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories, while another comprised of cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade contained 1,000 calories. Burger King has a "Big Kids" meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk at 910 calories, and Sonic has a "Wacky Pack" with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries, and a slushie.
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.
Subway's kids' meals came out the best among the chains examined in the report. Only 6 of 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. But Subway is the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with kids' meals, which helped lower the calorie count, according to the report.
The NNSDP has been promoting healthy eating and exercise since 1998, and other healthy agencies have been involved with health promotions, but diabetes continues to rise with over 24,000 Navajos with the disease. A major concern has been the increase in kids on the Navajo Nation coming down with Type II Diabetes who are 10 years of age and younger.
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