Posts tagged restaurants

99% of Kid’s Meals Are of Poor Nutritional Quality

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12 months ago
by admin in ,

Given the importance of helping children eat healthier food, we wanted to share with you a brief report on the nutritional values of kid’s meals at America’s top chain restaurants that involved research by Salud America! advisor Dr. Mary Story.

The report, published in the journal Childhood Obesity, evaluated restaurants such as Arby’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, McDonald’s, Sonic, Subway and more.

Of the 22 restaurants that had kid’s menus and available nutrition information, researchers found that 99 percent of 1,662 children’s meal combinations were of poor nutritional quality, based on key nutrition recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

At 15 of the chains, 100 percent of kid’s meal combinations failed to meet recommendations.

Kid’s meals ranged from 200 to 1,580 calories, with the average meal containing 740 calories, about 300 more than the standard (430 calories) for a single meal.

Story and her colleagues concluded that restaurants should support healthier choices for children by reformulating existing menu items and adding new healthier items, posting calories on menus, and setting nutrition standards for marketing to children.

Read more on topics like this among Latinos here from Salud America!, which is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

Study: Menu Labeling Can Increase Health in Latino-Serving Restaurants

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1 year ago
by admin in , ,

Editor’s Note: This is a 20-part series featuring new research briefs on Latino childhood obesity, nutrition, physical activity and more by the 20 grantees of Salud America! Part 2 is Dr. Carmen Nevarez. Find all briefs here.

Dr. Carmen Nevarez

Dr. Carmen Nevarez
“Salud Tiene Sabor: Creating Healthy Eating Environments for Latino Families”

In her Salud America! pilot research project, Dr. Carmen Nevarez of the Public Health Institute evaluated the Salud Tiene Sabor program. Sabor, the first program of its kind in California, supports healthy food choices in restaurants by providing access to healthy menu items and nutrition information, including calories posted on menu boards.

Seven independent restaurants have implemented the Sabor program at Mercado La Paloma, a community marketplace in South Los Angeles that serves primarily Latino residents with restaurants, shops, social services and cultural events.

Key preliminary findings include:

  • customers are aware of and use nutrition information on menu boards;
  • restaurant owners support the Salud Tiene Sabor program; and
  • healthy eating options are available to Mercado la Paloma customers.

Early findings indicate that small, independently owned restaurants in low-income Latino communities can help improve local nutrition environments. They also show that Latino communities are aware of and positively influenced by menu labeling.

Read more here.

Salud America! is an RWJF national program directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday.

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