Fast Tips for Cutting Fast Food,
Plus Food Guide Pyramid for Youngsters
You're as likely to keep children from eating fast food as you are to get them to stop playing computer games. Fast food is part of Americans' lifestyle.
Yet you're concerned about what your child is eating. Frequent hamburger and french fry dinners can add 1,000 calories or more at a sitting. An active 8-year-old only needs 2,000 calories for a whole day, so those burgers could set your child up for weight problems -- even in elementary school. Today, 20 percent of adolescents are obese, compared to 7 percent 30 years ago, the government says.
You can teach your child how to select more nutritious foods. You also can take the excitement out of fast food so it's less desirable. Here's how:
Limit portion sizes
Even young children are apt to overeat when offered large quantities of food, according to researchers. If you're not sure about portions, check the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children (ages 2 to 6).
Establish guidelines
Have your children order milk instead of soft drinks, or eat salad as part of the meal, says Tufts University nutrition professor Susan Roberts, Ph.D. "Discuss these in advance with your children and stick to them. Some restaurants allow you to specify options so you can say no to mayonnaise and cheese, for example. In pizza restaurants you can ask for half cheese and more vegetables, such as mushrooms, peppers and onions."
De-emphasize fast food
Don't make fast food a big deal. "If you say 'Oh, I'm so sorry, we ran out of food at home and will have to go to McDonald's,' it tells your child that you don't think it's anything great and will help your child keep fast food in perspective," Dr. Roberts says.
Don't use fast food as a reward, either. "You can offer other things as rewards," says Jo Ann Hattner, R.D., an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and pediatric specialist in Palo Alto, CA.
Finally, remember to set an example. Your words won't count if you're eating a king-size order of fries.
Does that meal compute?
Take a virtual visit to a fast-food restaurant and help your child make wholesome choices. Log onto McDonald's site (www.mcdonalds.com), for example, and you'll see that a hamburger, small order of fries and reduced-fat vanilla ice cream comes to 650 calories, just a few more than the 620 to 630 calories in a McFlurry.
Most fast-food restaurant chains have Web sites with nutrition information. Other popular sites: