babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
5 Worst Fast Food Kids Meals
And the award for least healthy fast food meal for kids goes to….McDonald’s Mighty Kids Meal, which has 840 calories, 37 grams of fat and just about as much sodium as a kid should consume in an entire day.
The list, based on analysis by dietitians at the nonprofit group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), also includes meals from Wendy’s, KFC, A&W, and Burger King.
The worst fast-food kids meals earned this dubious honor because of the amount of fat, cholesterol and sodium they contain.
Consumer groups have recently slammed McDonald’s and other fast food chains have for marketing junk food to kids when America is in the middle of a childhood obesity crisis.
In June, the nonprofit group Center for Science in the Public Interest, threatened McDonald’s with a lawsuit unless it stopped using toys to promote Happy Meals (so far, no lawsuit has been filed).
“Kids shouldn’t have to dodge cholesterol bombs packaged in colorful, toy-filled boxes,” says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “We’re losing the war against childhood obesity, but fast-food chains are still making obscene profits by targeting children with high-fat meals.”
Here are the 5 Worst Fast Food Kids Meals (ranked from worst to least bad):
1. McDonald’s Mighty Kids Meal: Double Cheeseburger, French fries, and chocolate milk
840 calories; 37 grams of fat
2. Wendy’s Kids’ Meal: Chicken Sandwich, French fries, and chocolate Frosty
770 calories; 34 grams of fat
3. KFC Kids Meal: Popcorn chicken, potato wedges, string cheese, and soda
800 calories; 1,800 milligrams of sodium
4. A&W Kids Meal: Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda
780 calories; 9 grams of saturated fat
5. Burger King’s BK Kids: Breakfast muffin sandwich meal
95 milligrams of cholesterol; exceeds recommended limit on sodium intake
As I wrote last month in my blog about the 20 Worst Kids Foods, I don’t believe in demonizing any particular food. In general, I believe that everything is okay in moderation. But, after studying this list of fast food offenders, I think I’ll steer my kids clear of these particularly unhealthy meals.
How often do you let your kids eat fast food?
More posts:
More posts:
Are Twinkies “All-Natural?” Sort Of.
Would You Spend $5,000 on Your Kid’s 1st Birthday Party?
Are School Lunches Making Kids Fat?
Should Parents Get Money for Helping Their Kids Learn?
Should Dads Take Paternity Leave?
Photo: flickr/cafemama
Go Back To Strollerderby
17 Comments
[...] And the award for least healthy fast food meal for kids goes to….Click here to read more. [...]
5 Worst Fast Food Meals For Kids | nOOb Dad commented on Aug 26 10 at 10:33 am[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
School Buses Child Safety | Strollerderby commented on Sep 01 10 at 2:48 pm[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Work at home jobs doesn't mean available to help | Strollerderby commented on Sep 01 10 at 3:11 pm[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Gender Roles Boys in School | Strollerderby commented on Sep 02 10 at 9:02 am[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Smoking Toddler Quit Smoking | Strollerderby commented on Sep 02 10 at 10:32 am[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Flu Vaccine | Strollerderby commented on Sep 07 10 at 10:41 am[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Baby Sleep Childhood Obesity | Strollerderby commented on Sep 07 10 at 1:12 pm[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Divorce Rates | Strollerderby commented on Sep 08 10 at 1:41 pm[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Circumcision Newborn Baby | Strollerderby commented on Sep 13 10 at 2:28 pm[...] Five Worst Fast Food Kids Meals [...]
Kids Halloween Costumes | Strollerderby commented on Sep 14 10 at 10:29 amBetsy commented on Aug 26 10 at 11:19 amgreat info! now can you steer us to the “best” kid’s meal options?? Thanks!
goddess commented on Aug 26 10 at 11:48 amBetsy, a regular burger, side salad w/lo-fat Italian Dressing and water. 360 calories and 11.5 grams of fat.
Melissa commented on Aug 26 10 at 1:08 pmHealthy and fast-food do not belong in the same sentence. The environmental and political impact of fast food chains is enough to stop me in my tracks… not to mention the chemicals and Monsanto “foods” those places serve. I feed my kid food. Not food-like substances that come in a box with a toy. The best kids’ meal options are those you make at home or ones that come from a reliable, trustworthy establishment.
Manjari commented on Aug 26 10 at 3:55 pmI’m with you, Melissa. We are lucky to have an affordable burger place near us that serves grass-fed beef burgers and has 3 options for veggie burgers. It’s still NOT healthy food, but it IS actual food. We don’t go more than once a month, but it’s good for a treat. For people who don’t have restaurants like that around, it’s probably helpful to at least have all the nutrition info about the choices that are available for days you don’t want to/can’t cook.
I just want to say that the picture here looks so gross compared to the pictures the chains use! That looks like a real picture of what you actually get. Yuck.
JZ commented on Aug 26 10 at 4:57 pmMannnn I’m hungry.
jim braddley commented on Dec 15 11 at 11:42 amITS NOT SO MUCH WHAT THEY EAT, ITS THE FACT THAT THEY SET ON THERE ASS AND NEDD EXERCISE.
Pamela Moore Smith commented on Dec 15 11 at 1:00 pmI have a great nephew who is over weight! He eats what he wants and when he wants. Another great nephew is average weight but has high cholesterol at age 8! It seems that alot of mothers do not cook. Even simple foods made at home are healthier then fast food! I think all high school students should be required to take making coures in nutrition, cooking and economics!
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
17