Study: Kids' Menus Full of Fatty Foods

ByABC News via logo
February 23, 2004, 8:14 PM

Feb. 24 -- Many experts blame fast-food chains for kids' growing waistlines, but a new study, released on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, found that children's menus at many popular sit-down restaurants don't offer many healthy kid-friendly options either.

The study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest looked at children's menus at several popular restaurant chains, including Applebee's, Chili's and Outback Steakhouse.

Fried chicken fingers or nuggets were found on each of the 20 kids' menus that were surveyed late last year. A hamburger or cheeseburger appeared on 85 percent of menus, and each one of the menus featured fried potatoes as a side dish, the study found. Extras, like complimentary sugar-laden desserts and sodas, added to the calorie count.

"I think it's shameful that restaurants are encouraging kids to eat this food," said Dr. Michael Jacobson, executive director the CSPI. "Parents could simply skip the kids' menu and get a healthy meal for themselves and split it with their kid," he said on GMA.

Although children may prefer burgers and chicken fingers, parents care about what their kids eat, and they need to have a choice, Jacobson said.

An independent laboratory analyzed samples of dishes from seven of the top 20 table-service restaurants, including Applebee's, Chili's, Cracker Barrel, Denny's, the Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse and Red Lobster.

Most of the children's meals contained somewhere between 600 and 1,000 calories, which is half a day's worth of the calories that children ages 4 to 8 should be eating, the study found. The study assumed that children should eat about 1,500 calories a day, and limit the amount of artery-clogging "bad fat" (saturated plus trans-fat) to 17 grams, which is just slightly less than the 20-gram "bad-fat" limit recommended for older children and adults.