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The American lifestyle is getting more and more rushed.
Everything has to move fast to keep up with our jam-packed
schedules -- even our meals. Most families eat at a fast food
restaurant at least once a week and many people find
themselves "driving through" several times during the week.
The convenience can't be beat, but there is a downside. It
is affecting our children's weight and overall health. Are there any good fast food choices? Fortunately, the word is out that eating high fat, super-sized meals can lead to our kids gaining too much weight. Our kids are taking in extra calories from soda and high fat foods and it shows. Fast food restaurants now offer smaller portions, more grilled chicken selections, kids meals with a choice of fruit and milk instead of fries and soda, and creative salads with bottled waters. If there is no time to cook, you can order healthy items on the run. Tips for ordering kid friendly food:
Making Healthy Fast Food Choices Most restaurants offer a variety of healthy salads, with calories ranging from 200 to 400 calories before adding the dressing. If your kids like salads, encourage them to order a salad instead of a burger. Choose the low-fat or fat-free dressings. A full fat dressing packet can contain 200 to 300 extra calories! When choosing a meal, try to pick one that has fewer calories and fat for your child. Although some of the choices may still be a bit high in calories and fat, compared to the typical kid's meal, these menu items are a big improvement. The McDonald's Happy Meal with a cheeseburger, fries and a soda contains 640 calories and 23 grams of fat. If your child is older and ordering a regular meal, such as a Quarter Pounder with cheese, medium fries and medium-sized soda, the calories jump to 1,070 with 41 grams of fat. The food choices listed below are some of the lowest in calories and fat offered on the restaurant's menu. Healthier Fast Food Options
*All sandwiches listed above don't include mayonnaise or cheese unless specified. Where can I find complete menu and nutrition information? Most large food chains publish nutrition analysis sheets that list all menu items, showing total calories, grams of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and sometimes, food group portion sizes. These materials are rarely on display. You'll have to ask for information at the counter or go online to the restaurant's Web site. The Web sites often include menus, nutrient breakdowns and easy to use calculators so you can see exactly what your children are eating and where you need to make changes. McDonalds: http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat.html Burger King: http://www.bk.com/Food/Nutrition/index.aspx Wendy's: http://www.wendys.com/food/index.jsp?country=US&lang=EN Pizza Hut: http://www.pizzahut.com/menu/nutritioninfo.asp Taco Bell: http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition.htm Subway: http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/index.aspx Our busy lifestyles probably won't be slowing down any time soon. We need the convenience of fast foods sometimes, but we also deserve to have healthy choices. The industry is changing because the public is demanding it. Do your part by ordering the healthier choices, so that companies will continue to offer these foods in the future.  Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a
replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
HIA File NTR4735F.HTM Release 9.0/2006. Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subdiaries. All Rights Reserved.
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