Eat This, Not That! Worst Restaurant Meals for Kids

Dave Zinczenko of Men's Health magazine was on the "Today Show" discussing children's meals. You might know who Dave is from "Eat This, Not That" column and book series.

Oh my goodness. I was shocked at the calories in children's meals. It is a crying shame that restaurants put very little thought into children's nutrition. It's almost as if the children's meals are afterthoughts.

I admit that we are "those" parents that allow our children to order what they want instead of choosing the meal for them. I think when they turned 7 we let them choose. There have been many times when their food was placed before them and I noticed that the color of the food was all brown...chicken nuggets, french fries, fried foods. I think it's time that I start paying attention to what my son is ordering and nudge him in the right direction. I think I need to also think about what I'm ordering. How many times have we adults ordered appetizers and it's all brown too?


Here are the 4 meals that Dave presented. Smart Swaps.


1. On the Border  NOT THAT
Kid’s Cheese Quesadilla with Mexican Rice
1,220 calories, 75 g fat (31 g saturated), 1,930 mg sodium
CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 17.5 José Olé Shredded Steak Taquitos—that’s almost a whole box!

EAT THIS

Kid’s Mexican Plate with Crispy Chicken Taco

260 calories, 12 g fat (4 g saturated), 530 mg sodium
*Don’t forget to set a good example for the niños yourself! From tacos to tamales, here are the universal guidelines you need to Master the Mexican Menu.

2. KFC NOT THAT        (We just got Popcorn chicken this past Sunday.)

Kids Meal with Popcorn Chicken, Potato Wedges, and Pepsi

730 calories, 32 g fat (6 g saturated), 1,535 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: More than seven Eggo Chocolate Chip Waffles!

EAT THIS

Kids Meal with Grilled Chicken Drumstick, Mashed Potatoes (no gravy), and Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters Tropical Fruit Juice Drink

210 calories, 7 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 625 mg sodium

3. McDonald’s NOT THAT

Mighty Kids Meal with McDouble, Fries, and 1 percent Chocolate Milk Jug

790 calories, 33 g fat (12 g saturated, 1.5 g trans), 1,230 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 18 slices of Kraft Singles 2 percent American cheese—nearly an entire package!

EAT THIS

Happy Meal with Hamburger, Apple Dippers, and Apple Juice Box

380 calories, 9 g fat (3.5 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 540 mg sodium

4. Cheesecake Factory 

NOT THAT 

Kids Pasta with Alfredo Sauce 

1,810 calories , 89 g saturated fat, 652 mg sodium

CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 775 Parmesan-flavored Pepperidge Farm Goldfish—that’s two bags!

EAT THIS

Kids Pasta with Marinara Sauce

510 calories, 2 g saturated, 651 mg sodium

After seeing this I decided to search other high calorie shockers.

1. The Worst Drink in America
Cold Stone Creamery Gotta Have It PB&C Shake
2,010 calories, 131 g fat (68 g saturated), 153 g sugars

More sugar than 12 Fudgsicles, as much fat as a stick and a half of butter, and more calories than 37 Oreos. Oh, it also has 3 days’ worth of saturated fat. 

Drink This Instead!
Sinless Oh Fudge Shake—Like It
490 calories, 2 g fat (2 g saturated), 110 g carbohydrates, 44 g sugars

I was really sad to see PF Changs had the worst Chinese dish. This made #7 on 30 Worst Foods in America. Even though I know it's on the worst foods list this picture makes me want order some right now. 

7. P.F. Chang’s Combo Lo Mein - 1,968 calories, 96 g fat (12 g saturated), 5,860 mg sodium

Drum roll please for the Worst Meal in America...

1. Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Guacamole Bacon Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32-oz Coke - 1,810 calories, 92 g fat (29.5 g saturated, 2 g trans), 3,450 mg sodium

 (But it looks sooo good).

Interested in knowing good restaurants food choices? Click here for surprising healthy restaurant foods.