Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Eliminating the Fast Food Diet

by Evelyn Turner2/19/2008 2:51:56 PM

I’ll confess. I like fast food – fat and salt served up in an instant and you don’t even have to get out of your car. But I don’t eat it anymore. Too much fat, too much salt, too many calories, and no real eating enjoyment involved when you’re sitting in the car in a parking lot or driving down the road trying to steer and eat at the same time. Eat it when you get home? Cold, soggy fries, limp bun.  You get the picture.

Although we know it's not very healthy, it's hard to resist the convenience of fast food.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (I love their tag line “Dedicated to the Health of All Children,” my kind of organization) did a study a couple of years ago. 30% of the 6,000+ kids in the study ate fast food on a typical day, regardless of gender, race, ethnic groups, or regions of the country.

On the days that kids had fast food, they ate more calories, less fiber, fewer fruits and non-starchy vegetables, and drank less milk compared to the days when they did not eat fast food.

In other words, it’s not just about the impact of the fast food itself in terms of calories and nutritional content; it’s also about the impact on what kids don’t eat the rest of the day.

Fast food on a regular basis can also lead to excessive weight gain. It’s no wonder when fast food means large portions, high calories, the appeal to children’s’ taste buds for fats, sugar, and salt, the high content of saturated and trans fats, and the low amounts of fiber.

So how can we reduce our dependence on fast food? It takes some planning but your child’s health is involved, which provides some pretty strong motivation.

Plan ahead by keeping healthy snacks stashed in the car.

Stock up on foods that are low in calorie, low in refined starches and sugar, and high in fiber. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and some dairy products are the obvious choices. If you stock your home with ready-to-eat food, it’s easy to grab some to put in the small cooler you can keep in your car, and have something nutritious available for the kids when you are on the road.

Plan your week’s worth of dinners and buy what you need once a week. Post the plan on the refrigerator so you and the family know exactly what you’re having for dinner each night. It’s a lot easier to drive past the fast food restaurant when you have the answer to “what’s for dinner?” waiting at home. If you need to, fill in the week with one more trip to the store to restock your supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk.

Despite all this planning, you may still find yourself with a car full of hungry kids and nothing to eat. A few of the fast food chains, like Wendy’s and McDonald’s, do have some more nutritious options, such as salads. If you have the willpower, try them. But resist that old habit to order the combo and supersize it. Just like the American Academy of Pediatrics, we’re dedicated to the health of our children.

A Note About the Author: Evelyn Turner

Evelyn Turner is the owner of The Easy Entrée, where you’ll find hassle-free home cooking. In her spare time, she loves to read and go boating in the San Juan Islands. Evelyn and her husband Richard also enjoy seeing (and spoiling) their two grandchildren, Kyle and Rachel, ages 7 and 5.