Damage control
Damage control
How to make fast food friendlier: Feeding your children nutritious meals can be a challenge.
If you must eat on the go, here are a few tips to make fast food relatively healthier for you and your family.
- Say no to the ‘value-size'. When you super size, the size of your fries is not the only thing that gets bigger.
- Skip the sides. Eating a burger or sandwich by itself is often filling enough. If you do want a side dish, consider ordering a cup of fruit or a salad.
- Avoid double meat burgers. A serving size of meat is 2-3 ounces – about the size of a deck of cards. You are probably getting well over that with a single meat patty.
- Chicken without skin is significantly leaner than the meats most fast-food companies use in their burgers.
- Eat your sandwich open-faced. By eating only half the bun, you can eliminate unnecessary calories.
- Skip the mayo and other calorie-laden dressings and sauces.
- Drink water, diet soda or low-fat milk.
What can society do?
Your child's friends and the media can also affect his or her eating and activity choices.
Children may go to fast food places or play video games with their friends instead of playing tag, basketball or other active games. T
TV commercials try to persuade kids to choose high-fat snacks and high-sugar drinks and cereals.
Youngsters are more likely to make healthy choices outside the home if parents help their children be aware of peer and media pressures.
Schools can play an active role.
Prohibiting fizzy drinks and chips is a positive step.
Kids can be taken for educational field trips to local markets and restaurants to learn how to make healthy selections and read food labels.
More nutritious choices in cafeteria and vending machines, such as salad bars and baked food rather than fried, encourage kids to try items other than sodas, candy bars and French fries.
Teachers could give incentives (like a monthly star) to children for the ‘most nutritious lunch box'.
Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with early energy they need to get a head start as lessons begin.
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