When you go out to eat, you might try to do right by your diet and steer clear of the fattiest meals on the menu. But what about your children? Kids are thinking about taste -- not calories -- when they pick their dinner. Unfortunately, children's menus are packed with unhealthy dishes that could easily contain 100 percent of your little one's daily recommended calories.
Children's Health magazine took a look at the kids' meals at restaurants around the country and rounded up the 20 worst foods for kids in America.
The biggest offender on the list was Uno's Chicago Grill's Kids' Kombo with Fries. This hefty plate of cheese sticks, dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and fries dished up a whopping 1,250 calories, 79 grams of fat and 2,850 mg of sodium. Add Uno's kid's sundae, (voted the worst dessert) and your child could wind up eating 2,110 calories in one sitting. To put it in perspective, the average nine-year-old needs 1,600 calories a day. Oh, and if you think ordering Uno's pizza is any better, think again: Their deep dish pepperoni took the award for the worst pizza for kids, packing in 980 calories and 70 grams of fat.
Other offenders on the list include Burger King's 1,100-calorie kids' double cheeseburger, fries and a Coke, On the Border's 980-calorie bean and cheese nachos for kids, and Baskin-Robbins small Snickers shake, which is loaded with 1,040 calories and 50 grams of sugar.
Just like adult meals, portion sizes for kids have gotten out of control. The average fast food kids' meal has 214 calories more than the same meal would have in the 70s. So is it any wonder that child obesity rates have tripled in the past 20 years? Today,
one-third of children are overweight, putting the next generation at greater risk for heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
While restaurants can shoulder some of the blame, the health of our kids ultimately comes down to the choices parents make -- parents who, by the way, are reportedly spending more money on fast food than books, music, movies and video games
combined.
It isn't just kids' meals that are packing in ridiculously high calories. Click on the gallery below to see some of the worst fast foods for adults.
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Outrageous Fast Food
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, 3-Cheese Mac-N-Cheese, whole dish
Calories: 1460
Fat: 56 g
Sodium: 2840 mg
You know it's mac and cheese and you know it's surrounded in calorie-loaded carbs, but did you know this deceptive dish counts as two servings? And that's probably why this order puts you near your daily fat allowance and way past the recommended daily salt intake. If you have the willpower -- eat one serving, or half the bowl!
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Getty Images North America
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, 3-Cheese Mac-N-Cheese, whole dish
Calories: 1460
Fat: 56 g
Sodium: 2840 mg
You know it's mac and cheese and you know it's surrounded in calorie-loaded carbs, but did you know this deceptive dish counts as two servings? And that's probably why this order puts you near your daily fat allowance and way past the recommended daily salt intake. If you have the willpower -- eat one serving, or half the bowl!
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Domino's BreadBowl Pasta, Chicken Alfredo, whole dish
Calories: 1400
Fat: 50 g
Sodium: 2140 mg
If you're craving chicken alfredo, and you happen to be at Domino's, consider ordering their bread-less version. In comparison it contains a lighter 600 calories, 29 fat grams and 1080 mg of sodium.
*Note: The nutrition information isn't available on Domino's Web site. AOL Health requested the information from Domino's directly.
Rachel Been, AOL
Quiznos Tuna Melt, large
Calories: 1760 calories
Fat: 133 g
Sodium:2120 mg
If you want to stick to the government's health guidelines, eat this over the space of two days or you'll go overboard on fat. And hold the dressing on this one -- it'll save you 370 calories and 40 fat grams. Yikes!
Melanie J. Kramer, AOL
Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich
Calories: 470
Fat: 24 g
Sodium: 930 mg
Don't let the "premium" and "fish" in the name fool you into thinking this new order is lean. For a truly lighter option from Wendy's try the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap, which contains 260 calories, 11 fat grams and 760 mg of sodium.
Rachel Been, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Boston Blue Burger
Calories: 1466
Fat: 98 g
Sodium: Not available
This burger contains more than a day and a third's worth of fat grams -- or a fat content equivalent to four meals. It also contains about three-fourths of a day's worth of calories, and who knows what Ruby Tuesday's doesn't want you to know about the sodium content!
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Dunkin' Donuts Waffle Breakfast Sandwich
Calories: 390
Fat: 23 g
Sodium: 1000 mg
While this bad boy doesn't compare to the train wreck of a breakfast platter from McDonald's (see slide 22), do you really want to eat nearly half a day's worth of sodium for breakfast?
Keith Morrison, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Veggie Burger
Calories: 1007
Fat: 53 g
Sodium: Not available
Okay, this is a tough one to understand. Store-bought veggie patties like those available from Garden Burger, Boca Burger and Morningstar Farms, usually amount to about 100 calories and 5 grams of fat without any fixings. Which begs the question, just what kind of fixings is Ruby Tuesday's adding in? To be fair, this meat-free version is lower in calories and fat than most of the other burger options available from Ruby Tuesday's.
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Ruby Tuesday's Kids' Mini Turkey Burgers and Fries
Calories: 873
Fat: 46 g
Sodium: Not available
If you're watching your weight while eating out, you might think that the kid's menu is a safe place to order from. That's not necessarily the case at Ruby Tuesday's. While the kids' minis are certainly lighter than their adult counterparts, they also contain about 70 percent of the fat adults should consume in a day.
Note: Dietary recommendations for calorie, fat and sodium intake are not available.
*Nutrition Information varies by location.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Hardee's Monster Thickburger
Calories: 1420
Fat: 108 g
Sodium: 2770 mg
This monster tops out your daily fat and sodium. Talk about scary!
James A. Finley, AP
Burger King Steakhouse Burger
Calories: 950
Fat: 59 g
Sodium: 1950 mg
This new BK burger packs half the calories and nearly all of the sodium and fat you should have in one day. If you eat it, don't even think about ordering a side of fries. A small order would tack on an extra 340 calories, 17 fat grams and 590 mg of sodium.
Keith Morrison, AOL
Where can you find the best kids' meal in America? Try your own kitchen.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Marilyn 10-22-2009 @ 9:22PM
Pizzeria Uno is the best pizza in the whole country!!!
Reply
Melissa 10-22-2009 @ 9:42PM
You must not be from NYC...
Dan 10-23-2009 @ 4:26AM
Ugg , that stuff stinks , though it's better than pizza hut or domino's
Ok maybe I just don't like Chicago pizza, I would rather have a Scisillian pizza or a nice sclice of NY pizza pie
phil 10-22-2009 @ 10:23PM
Agreed. Pizza Uno is the best pizza I have ever tried. Nothing wrong with ordering a bit, as long as you don't do it 7 times a week! Duh! How about moderation in all things? That's what we should teach our kids.
What's worse....you could hang with some people that are vegetarians. Have you ever been around someone with tofu breath?
Reply
Master Shake 10-23-2009 @ 1:29AM
Vegetarians are CONSTANTLY getting sick. For all of their hype about how healthy it is to avoid red meat, most of them have bad skin problems, they get every single cold or flu that comes around, and by the time they are 50 they have bone and joint problems.
mike 10-22-2009 @ 11:59PM
Thanks for the tip AOL. I am naturally thin but well muscled and my two grade school kids are thin like I was at their age. I always seek out high caloric foods for them when given the chance by my wife. I get my son (10 yoa) the McDonald's double cheeseburger happy meal along with a 2nd double cheeseburger. Great nutrition in terms of total calories as well as grams of fat, protein and carbs. Honey buns and chocolate milk are staples for breakfast while driving them to school. And speaking of the school, they 'taught' them nutrition and my son came home complaining that fast foods were not nutritious or good for you or some hogwash. I told them not to listen and that I know far more about what they need nutritionally than any school teacher. I am not being facitious at all and look forward to ordering the kids combo at Uno's.
Reply
badgirl 10-23-2009 @ 3:52AM
I think that it's stupid of them to say what they did about Baskin-Robbins. Baskin-Robbins is ice cream, not a meal. They also for got to look at the sugar free ice cream that Baskin-Robbins offers for dieters and people with diabetis.
Reply