Health News
Nobody's surprised to hear what researchers have now quantified: When children eat out, they take in more calories and fat than they would have at home. It doesn't matter if they're sitting down or driving through, at a fancy restaurant or at a McDonald's, we're not doing them any nutritional favors when we get in the car to go eat.
Jon Bardin of the Los Angeles Times reports that a study, published Monday in the medical journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that 2- to 11-year olds average an extra 126 calories when they eat a fast-food meal and 12- to 19-year-olds add an average of 309 calories. Full-service restaurants could added an average of 160 and 267 for the two age groups, respectively. And a lot of those calories were of the empty-nutrition kind that come from sugary drinks; kids in the study drank significantly more of those while dining out than when eating at home. (Getty Images photo)
In their report, writes Bardin, the authors argue that government intervention likely will be required to see any improvement: ?Public policies that aim to reduce restaurant consumption -- such as increasing the relative costs of these purchases; limiting access through zoning, particularly around schools; limiting portion sizes; and limiting exposure to marketing -- deserve serious consideration.? (Read more)
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Health News
Study finds kids get more fat and calories when they eat out
Jon Bardin of the Los Angeles Times reports that a study, published Monday in the medical journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that 2- to 11-year olds average an extra 126 calories when they eat a fast-food meal and 12- to 19-year-olds add an average of 309 calories. Full-service restaurants could added an average of 160 and 267 for the two age groups, respectively. And a lot of those calories were of the empty-nutrition kind that come from sugary drinks; kids in the study drank significantly more of those while dining out than when eating at home. (Getty Images photo)
In their report, writes Bardin, the authors argue that government intervention likely will be required to see any improvement: ?Public policies that aim to reduce restaurant consumption -- such as increasing the relative costs of these purchases; limiting access through zoning, particularly around schools; limiting portion sizes; and limiting exposure to marketing -- deserve serious consideration.? (Read more)
- Ky., High In Childhood Obesity, Fights It With Better School Meals, Increased Activity Requirements And Maybe Help From Big Bird
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Kentucky children are some of the nation's fattest. In 2011, the last year for which data are complete, Kentucky ranked sixth in the U.S. in the percentage of obese 2-to 4-year-olds from low-income families...
- Kids Needs To Cut Out An Average Of 41 Calories A Day To Stop Gaining Weight
Children and teens need to cut their food intake an average of only 41 calories a day in order to stop gaining weight, a new study has found. If they don't do that, they'll end up weighing even more than they do now ? four more pounds...
- Kids Are Still Eating Too Much Sugar, Regardless Of Parents' Income, And They're Getting Most Of It At Home
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News American children's sugar consumption is down, but kids are still eating too much sugar, and they are getting most of it at home. So says a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, which also...
- ?kids? Meals? And Toys
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom San Francisco has been a national leader in healthier eating for kids, starting with fast food restaurants. A new law went into effect this past week: no free toys included for meals not meeting more healthful standards for calories,...
- Downsize Those Sugary Drinks!
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom It?s official ? Americans are drinking way too many sugary drinks. New results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) have documented some scary findings when it comes to consumption of sugary drinks....