Grow Up Well Nourished -- Choose Well When Eating Out
Most kids love eating out. Restaurants offer an opportunity for them to explore new and different foods. However, because children are eating more and more meals away from home, it's wise to help them make the most of the experience by teaching them to make healthy choices when dining out.
First, look beyond the restaurant's kids' menu, which usually offers little more than deep-fried and nutrient-poor foods.
Next, help your kids learn to read a restaurant menu closely, and explain why baked, broiled, and poached items are more nutritious than fried foods, and how a vegetable, salad, or baked potato is a healthier option than French fries.
Then, help kids gauge what a reasonable portion is and what sauces and condiments to use sparingly.
A child who grows up seeking the healthiest menu options, asking for substitutions, and eating reasonable portions is more likely to avoid weight problems and life-threatening health conditions, such as coronary heart disease.
Create a Family Eat-Out Plan:
- Find copies of menus containing nutritional values from the popular restaurants in your area; most are available online or by request at restaurant locations.
- Carefully go over the menus and identify restaurants that have healthy options.
- Make a list of healthy meal choices at each venue and use this list when ordering.
Children who fall into the habit of splurging on high-calorie kid favorites -- chicken nuggets, burgers, French fries, pizza, and bottomless sodas -- whenever they eat out are at increased risk of suffering clogged arteries, weakened bones, blood sugar complications, and high blood pressure.
