A Little Creativity Creates
A Nutritious Children’s Menu

by Darline Turner Lee, Physician Assistant, ACSM Exercise Specialist

Article Last Reviewed: Sept. 9, 2006

Recently while dining at a restaurant my husband and I once again struggled with what to order for my daughter. The typical kid’s menu consists of hamburgers and French fries, hot dogs and French fries, chicken tenders and French fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There may be an additional item here or there, but this is generally the selection-complete with a soda with unlimited refills and a cookie.

Since my daughter is lactose intolerant, grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese are out. She is also allergic to peanuts so a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is out. Hence we are reduced to choosing from fried, processed meat and French fries. We once asked a waiter at a popular Austin hot spot for a side order of steamed or grilled vegetables. “We don’t have any steamed vegetables,” he said. “We only have green salads, coleslaw and a grilled skewer of tomato, purple onion, green pepper and mushroom.” Not much luck there. My three and a half year old daughter doesn’t eat garden salads (yet), doesn’t like coleslaw and wouldn’t eat the vegetables on the grilled skewer. Without such favorites as broccoli, squash or even corn on the cob (which is really a starch but we would have taken it!), we created a meal for my daughter from items on the adult menu.

Kids’ menus offer some of the most unhealthy food choices available, yet the patrons to whom they are targeted are the most vulnerable. Considering the growing and developing bodies of children, restaurants should offer more nutritious entrée choices to these young guests. With their limited children’s menus, restaurants contribute to the childhood obesity and malnutrition epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control released data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the April 5, 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association. According to their survey, which reviewed the heights and weights of nearly four thousand children aged two to nineteen from 1999-2004, the number of overweight children increased from nearly fourteen percent to seventeen percent. No wonder there is a rise in the rates of heart disease, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes in children and teenagers.

I have heard more than one parent lament, “My child won’t eat vegetables.” Or “My child refuses to eat anything but macaroni and cheese.” So, how can parents provide nutritious foods for their children while enjoying a family meal out at a restaurant?

Since obesity, heart disease and diabetes are prevalent in both of our families, my husband and I have come up with a few strategies to ensure that my daughter eats balanced meals at restaurants. We are trying to teach her how to make healthy food choices when she eats away from home. These strategies may be helpful to other parents who prefer their children eat more balanced meals when dining out.

Substitute for French Fries – Although one of my daughter’s favorite foods, we try to limit how often she has French fries. When we can, we substitute something else. Some restaurants offer fruit or vegetables so we order those instead.

Order Breakfast for dinner – At restaurants such as Kerbey Lane Café and Magnolia Cafe, you can order breakfast items anytime. Breakfast foods, depending on what you order, are more nutritious than standard kid’s menu fare and my daughter gets a kick out of having breakfast for dinner.

Share an entrée with your child – Since most restaurants give more food than any one person should eat, why not share a meal with your child? An entrée that comes with one or two side items can easily be split. My husband and I coordinate our order choices so that my daughter ends up with a mini buffet from our two plates.

Order a la carte from the adult menu – Sometimes it’s easier to create a nutritious meal by ordering individual items from the main menu. When there is a list of side items, we order a couple of side dishes for my daughter and then order a slightly larger entrée and share it with her. This works well with steak houses and other places with large portions.

Bring food with you – Okay, I realize that this totally defeats the purpose of going out to dinner, but bringing some nutritious food along for your child will ensure that he eats a more balanced and nutritious meal. It doesn’t have to be anything grand or even hot. Baby carrots are one of my daughter’s favorites and are easily tucked in my purse or her backpack in a sandwich bag or small plastic storage container. Peas and edamame (soy) beans also work well. When lemonade or juice will not be available, we bring soymilk for her (if it isn’t offered).

Some restaurants are more amenable to customizing a meal than others. To date we’ve not had any negative experiences at any restaurants because we brought side items for my daughter. Some folks may find it easier to just avoid certain restaurants. You can do this, but if you’re creative you can eat anywhere you want. The important thing is to stick to your goal of offering your child nutritious meals most of the time.

By the way, we are by no means perfect. So don’t call me a hypocrite when you see my daughter slamming’ down a hot dog and fries at Fuddruckers!