In fact, according to the authors of the new book “Eat This, Not That!,” recent research shows that the average kid today consumes 180 calories more a day compared to kids in 1989, and all of those extra calories translate into some pretty staggering health consequences: 45 percent of this country’s youth are overweight or obese, and the number of children burdened with diabetes has nearly quadrupled in the past 30 years.
Only 2 percent – that’s right, 2 percent – of children between the ages of two and 19 are fulfilling their five main recommendations for a healthy diet laid out in the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid. What’s worse, a study of 4,000 children of that same age group showed that the overwhelming bulk of their nutrients come from fortified cereals and fruit drinks. And 25 percent of kids’ vegetable intake comes from french fries. If kids are relying on Frosted Flakes, Hawaiian Punch and the deep fryer for their nutrients, then we know there’s a problem.
Unfortunately, our national school systems and the U.S. government are only exacerbating the problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is three times easier for kids to buy cookies at school than it is for them to buy fruits and vegetables. And statistics continue to show the presence of fast food in school cafeterias is consistently on the rise. Meanwhile, the current administration sought to cut $73 million for physical education programs in schools from the 2008 budget, so we stuff them with unhealthy food with one initiative, and then limit their physical fitness with another.
So it’s up to you as a parent to take control of your child’s diet, and make the kind of smart choices that the cafeteria ladies and America’s fast-food marketers just don’t seem willing to make. With a handful of small but significant choices, authors David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding show how you can save your children thousands of calories, prevent obesity and diabetes, help them be more attentive at school, and get them started on a lifetime of health and fitness.
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Eat this
Denny’s Kids D-Zone Smiley Alien Hotcakes with syrup and bacon
483 calories
12 grams fat
Not that!
Denny’s Kids D-Zone Big Dipper French Toastix with syrup, one piece of sausage and one strip of bacon
770 calories
71 grams fat
To a kid’s taste buds, these two meals are basically identical. But to their bodies, they couldn’t be further apart. The french toast has nearly half of an 8-year-old’s daily calories, plus six times the fat of the Alien Hotcakes! Most of that comes from the egg- and oil-soaked, margarine-slathered bread. Even with three pancakes, whipped cream, and two slices of bacon, the hotcakes manage to stay under the 500-calorie mark.
Important to remember: When it comes to breakfast meats, encourage your kids to choose bacon, which has half the calories and fat of sausage. ";
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Eat this
Quaker S’mores Granola Bar
100 calories
8 grams sugar
Not that!
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Strawberry Yogurt Bar
140 calories
14 grams sugar
Snacks are too often an afterthought, something we throw to our kids when they complain of hunger. Problem is, the snacks of choice in this country — granola bars, fruit snacks, yogurt — often pack as much sugar as a candy bar.
Case in point: The first ingredient in the Nutri-Grain filling is high-fructose corn syrup, more than canceling out the tiny benefits derived from the trace amount of fruit and yogurt hidden within. The Quaker granola bar may sound like a treat, but the first ingredient here is exactly what it should be: whole grain rolled oats. At 100 calories and just 8 grams of sugar, it’s a good way to keep the little ones full throughout the day.
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Drink this
Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters
35 calories
9 grams sugar
Not that!
Capri Sun Wild Cherry (1 pouch)
100 calories
28 grams sugar
It came as a shock to us that one of the drinks most commonly found in lunchboxes across America happens to have more sugar in it, ounce for ounce, than a Mountain Dew. They call it a juice-based drink, but there’s only 10 percent real juice, 90 percent water and high-fructose corn syrup.
Luckily, Capri Sun now makes a water-based beverage with a third of the calories and only a tiny fraction of the sugar. Swap these beverages in your kid’s lunch every day of the school year and you’ll save them three and a half pounds of excess weight — on lunch beverages alone.
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Eat this
McDonald’s six-piece Chicken McNuggets with honey and small french fries
550 calories
28 grams fat
810 mg sodium
Not that!
Chili’s Crispy Honey Chipotle Crispers (3) with ranch dressing and french fries
1270 calories
82 grams fat
2460 mg sodium
Who knew chicken fingers could be so calorie-packed? Both McDonald’s and Chili’s are serving up white chicken, breaded and fried, but somehow Chili’s manages to pack more than 200 calories into each of their Crispers. Add on a side of fries and a dipping sauce and you’re looking at nearly a full day’s worth of calories for the little one, plus more fat and sodium than a kid should have in 36 hours! McDonald’s McNuggets go for 45 calories a pop, so even a six-piece Happy Meal will keep them in a reasonable calorie range for lunch.
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Eat this
Grilled chicken strips with BBQ sauce
175 calories
8 grams fat
250 mg sodium
Not that!
Kraft Lunchables Chicken Strips
490 calories
15 grams fat
900 mg sodium
Pre-packaged lunches might be the easy move for busy parents, but they fall flat on two accounts: They’re unusually expensive for the tiny amount of food they carry, and, more importantly, they pack a ton of calories and sodium with very little nutritional benefit to speak of. Instead, bake a pound of chicken tenders on Sunday night, then portion them off for lunches throughout the week. Grab a few extra packets of BBQ sauce for your kid’s favorite fast food place and toss one in with each lunch.
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Eat this
Frosted Mini Wheats (1 cup)
175 calories
10 grams sugars
Not that!
Raisin Nut Bran (1 cup)
240 calories
19 grams sugar
A bowl of most kids-preferred cereals have more sugar than a large ice cream bar. Watch out for sneaky serving size, too; pressured by the USDA and concerned parents across the country to improve the nutritional content of cereals marketed to children, rather than cleaning up their act, many cereal manufacturers simply shrank the serving sizes on their nutritional labels.
With Raisin Nut Bran, the name might be comprised of three words that make us think healthy, but three of the first eight ingredients in this cereal’s nutrition label are three different forms of sugar. Frosted Mini Wheats pack a respectable amount of fiber, which helps keep your kids’ belly full, and Kellogg’s shows a surprisingly restrained hand with the sugar.
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Eat this
Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pan Pizza (6”)
640 calories
29 g fat
1530 mg sodium
Not that!
Cosi Kids Pepperoni Pizza
1901 calories
93 g fat
6,405 mg sodium
This Cosi “kids” pizza is the single worst kid’s meal we’ve uncovered in our research. That’s because it packs as many calories as 10 glazed doughnuts, as many grams of fat as 30 Chicken McNuggets, and more sodium than 43 slices of bacon (three entire days worth of salt!). All of this makes the Pizza Hut personal pizza look like a paradigm of health. While it’s certainly not that, you’ll save plenty of calories with this delicious meal.
And here’s a trick: Add pineapple as a topping and you’ll save 40 calories, plus your kid will be getting a big dose of antioxidants and B vitamins vital for energy production and defense against disease.
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