Danger Zone: The Kid's Meal

Even though it has far fewer options, sometimes picking through the kid’s menus at fast food chains is even harder than the regular menu. A lot of the kids meal items are full of fat and lots and lots of sugar. Additionally, kids meals often have enough calories to satisfy an adult. With the classic combination of a hamburger, fries, and a soda, kids meals can easily be about 600 calories. But the good news is that in recent years, fast food companies have started offering healthier options in the kids meals. Below are some smart meal choices in a few major fast food companies.

McDonalds
At McDonald’s, the best options for your kids will be the hamburger or the 4-piece chicken McNugget meal. Don’t order the fries- even the kids size fries are over 200 calories. Instead, cut down on about 150 calories and add some healthy fruit to your meal by ordering the apple dippers. Finally, the best drink options will be either juice or white milk.

Burger King
The hamburger or cheeseburger meals are the way to go at BK. Again, choose to get apple dippers rather than french fries. Apple juice, orange juice, and white milk are the smartest drinks to order. The juice will have natural sugars rather than tons of high-fructose corn syrup like a soda would, and the white milk will have 70 calories less than the same amount of chocolate milk.

Wendy’s
Similarly to McDonald’s, the 4-piece chicken nugget meal or the hamburger meal will be your best kid’s picks at Wendy’s. Even though they’re now advertised as all natural, skip the fries and get your kids mandarin oranges. To drink, try the light lemonade or white milk.

Taco Bell
The kid’s menu at Taco Bell isn’t well advertised, and there’s a good reason for it- it should be avoided. Rather than getting your kids a fat-loaded cheese filled tortilla, sugary cinnamon twists, and a sugary soda (enjoy dealing with the sugar rush and crash your kids will have soon after eating!), order them a taco off of the fresco menu. Throw in some salsa verde and water, and you’ve got a decent meal to keep the younger ones satisfied.

References:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/nutrition_choices.html
http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/index.html
http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/calculator
http://www.wendys.com/food/Nutrition.jsp