A Better Way to Eat Out with Your Kids!

Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, pasta with butter, French fries, chocolate milk and soda. Sounds like a list of foods that should be avoided to protect your health. Unfortunately, these are the typical offerings on most children’s menus. The sad fact is that when questioned, children in this country are most likely to list one of the above as their favorite food. Some restaurants sad attempt to offer healthy selections may include “fruit” (mandarin oranges in corn syrup) or plain steamed vegetables (not very exciting or tasty) as a side with their unhealthy selections. Where is their creativity? Wouldn’t it be refreshing if restaurants would put just as much effort into creating healthy kid’s offerings as their “adult menu” selections? Why do adults expect children to eat what they wouldn’t be interested in?

Just off the top of my head, here are some creative kid’s selections restaurants could offer on their children’s menu:

• Build your own flat bread- kids can check off the healthy toppings that would be put on top of a whole wheat flat bread with low-fat cheese
• Salad faces- healthy, in-season vegetables are used to create a “funny face”
• The classic “ants on a log”
• Baked sweet potato fries with a Greek yogurt dipping sauce
• Make your own parfait- with berries, low-fat yogurt and low-fat granola

Photo courtesy of grandpa (Saba)

As parent’s, waiting for a restaurant revolution is probably unrealistic. Let’s talk about some tips for promoting healthy eating while dining out:

• Research: review the restaurant’s offerings/menu before visiting (usually posted online).
• Think outside the box- you don’t have to stick to the official kid’s menu. Sometimes choosing a healthier appetizer or an adult entrée that the kids can share is a better option.
• Speak up- waiters/waitresses take requests. Ask if they can put the sauce on the side, grill, broil, bake or stream the item or add a vegetable side instead of what is offered.
• Make a deal with your kids that they can pick one item that is not as healthy but round out the meal with a more nutritious item (i.e. a hamburger with sliced apples and a tossed salad or grilled chicken with broccoli and French fries).  This way they will not feel deprived of their favorite foods.

Best bet- don’t eat out as much! Try and limit your restaurant eating to once a week. No matter how knowledgeable and creative we can be, you are most likely eating more calories, fat, sugar and sodium than you should. So break out those dusty pots and pans and get cooking!

Do you have any tips for other parent's while out to eat with your little ones?  Is there a restaurant you know that thinks outside of the box for their children's offerings?