The Worst Restaurant Foods for Kids

Childhood obesity rates in America have tripled since 1980. Today, 16 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. In addition to those 9 million children who are already in trouble, an additional 15 percent of American kids are classified as “at risk of becoming overweight or obese.”

We’re not just talking baby fat here—70 percent of overweight adolescents end up overweight or obese in adulthood. And since obesity increases your odds of heart attack, stroke, and early death of all causes (sometimes by as much as 33 percent), consider the impact of an entire generation of overweight children on our country’s health care system—and families. It’s a chilling thought, especially if one of those children is your own.

In spite of these terrifying statistics, the restaurant industry has done little to help combat the problem. If anything, the overstuffed, fat- and calorie-packed kids’ meals on many chain restaurants’ menus indicate that they’re just making things worse. What’s even more frustrating is that it’s hard to tell how good—or atrocious—any particular food item can be just by looking at the name. Who knew a kids’ turkey burger could pack half a day’s worth of calories? Or a simple plate of spaghetti and red sauce could have the sodium equivalent of FOUR large orders of McDonald’s french fries? Luckily, Eat This, Not That! is here to help you order smart and sensible food for your children when you’re eating away from home. Skip these dietary disasters to help keep your kids lean, strong, and healthy.

Worst Kids’ Side: Bob Evans Smiley Face Potatoes

．524 calories
．31 g fat (6 g saturated, 0 g trans)
．646 mg sodium
．57 g carbs

Not even an extended bath in hot oil could wipe the grins from the faces of these creepy-looking potatoes. When eating out, side dishes make or break a meal, and with more fat and calories than Bob’s Sirloin Steak, this side falls woefully into the latter category. Let this be a lesson to all the kids out there: Just because they’re smiling doesn’t mean they’re nice. Choose the Home Fries instead for a fraction the calories and a quarter the fat.

Eat This, Instead: Home Fries

．86 calories
．7 g fat (1 g saturated)
．547 mg sodium
．27 g carbs

Worst Kids’ Sandwich: Au Bon Pain Kids’ Grilled Cheese

．670 calories
．41 g fat (25 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
．1,060 mg sodium

Au Bon Pain turns a simple sandwich into a complicated mess—this grilled cheese has as much saturated fat as 25 strips of bacon! The Au Bon Pain kids’ menu contains just as many items over 500 calories as under, so it’s important to be vigilant. Choose the small mac ‘n cheese to satisfy your kid’s cheese cravings for a mere one-third the calories and none of the heart-harming trans fats. And to keep your own diet trans fat-free, avoid any item on this list of the trans-fattiest foods in America.

Eat This, Instead: Kids’ Macaroni and Cheese

．250 calories
．14 g fat (9 g saturated, 0 g trans)

Worst Kids’ Mexican Meal: On the Border Cheese Quesadilla

．850 calories
．66 g fat (26 g saturated)
．1,250 mg sodium
．26 g carbs

This quesadilla accounts for half the calories your child should consume in an entire day (that’s nearly 3 McDonald’s cheeseburgers, for comparison). It also comes super-stuffed with sodium, which is especially bad for kids because it makes them thirsty, which means they’re more likely to drink an excess of super-sweetened, high-calorie fruit juice or soda to compensate. Talk about a real diet disaster. Choose a soft chicken taco, but order it without the fat- and calorie-packed rice and beans.

Eat This, Instead: Soft Chicken Taco

．250 calories
．11 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
．910 mg sodium
．24 g carbs

Worst Kids’ “Healthy” Burger: Ruby Tuesday Kids' Turkey Minis and Fries

．873 calories
．46 g fat
．88 g carbs
．(Sodium content not listed)

In a perfect world, ground turkey is leaner than ground beef and a turkey burger is a decent thing to feed your kid. But Ruby Tuesday finds a way to confound all expectations by cramming half a day’s worth of calories into these tiny burgers. We chose the turkey version because it presents itself as a healthier alternative to the beef burgers, but in reality it has only 44 fewer calories than the mini-cheeseburger with fries. Not exactly a “healthy” alternative at all. Discover other atrocious “health” foods on our list of the 14 worst “healthy” foods in America.

Eat This, Instead: Chop Steak with Mashed Potatoes

．403 calories
．30 g fat
．15 g carbs

Worst Kids’ Spaghetti: Romano’s Macaroni Grill Fettuccine Alfredo

．890 calories
．67 g fat (38 g saturated)
．1,450 mg sodium
．53 g carbs

This simple dish of spaghetti and white sauce serves up nearly three-fourths of your kid’s daily sodium allowance—or, about as much salt as you’d find in 4 large orders of McDonald’s french fries. It’s also packed with saturated fat and has the caloric equivalent of 6 Hostess Twinkies. Order a kids’ cheese pizza to trim nearly half the calories away. Discover other cool calorie-saving tricks from 10 ways to make fast-food healthy.

Eat This, Instead: Mona Lisa’s Cheese Masterpizza

．480 calories
．14 g fat (8 g saturated)
．940 mg sodium
．62 g carbs

Worst Kids’ Drink: Baskin Robbins Made with M&M’s shake (small)

．980 calories
．36 g fat (22 g saturated, 1 g trans)
．129 g sugars
．153 g carbs

It’s a marvel of modern food science that Baskin Robbins can fit this much fat and sugar into a 16-ounce cup. To do so, it took a reckless sense of abandon and over 70 ingredients (including many from this list of the most controversial food additives). All told, it has more calories than 4 packs of M&Ms and as much sugar as you’ll find in 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts! A word of warning about super-sweetened drinks: the average American consumes an extra 400 calories from sugar-sweetened beverages every day. The fastest way to see your kid’s belly grow is to feed him super-sweetened juices, smoothies, sodas and milkshakes. The Drink This, Instead: Smoothie should be consumed only as a dessert, and only on very special occasions.

Drink This, Instead: Strawberry Citrus Fruit Blast (small)

．350 calories
．1 g fat (0 g saturated, 0 g trans)
．85 g sugars
．89 g carbs

Worst Kids’ Meal in America: Chili’s Pepper Pals Little Chicken Crispers with Ranch Dressing and Homestyle Fries

．1,110 calories
．82 g fat (15 g saturated)
．1,980 mg sodium
．56 g carbs

Most kids, if given the choice, would live on chicken fingers for the duration of their childhood. If those chicken fingers happened to come from Chili’s, it might be a pretty short life. A moderately active 8-year-old boy should eat around 1,600 calories a day. This single meal plows through 75 percent of that allotment. So unless he plans to eat carrots and celery sticks for the rest of the day (and we know he doesn’t), find a healthier chicken alternative. Chili’s Pepper Pals menu has one of the most extensive collections of kids’ entrees and side dishes in America, all of which prove considerably healthier than this fried chicken disaster.

Eat This, Instead: Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Platter with Cinnamon Apples

．340 calories
．8 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
．755 mg sodium
．38 g carbs

The trouble with your kids’ waistlines isn’t limited to fat-packed entrees and oil-dripping sides. Avoid any of these 14 worst “healthy” smoothies no matter how much your kid begs. As for food that you can feed your kids, check out our list of the best foods for kids. It should show you that the battle with the bulge isn’t over yet.

REFERENCE: msn health & Fitness : http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100237479&page=1