Restaurants slowly start serving more-healthful kids' food

For years, children's menus at restaurants have largely been a nutritional wasteland of chicken fingers, french fries and mac 'n' cheese.

But now, at a time when Americans are spending half their food dollars at restaurants and childhood obesity is on the rise, restaurants are slowly offering healthier options for kids.

Last week, Orlando-based Darden Restaurants revealed plans to remove fries and sodas from kids' offerings and make fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk the norm at its Olive Garden, Red Lobster, LongHorn Steakhouse and Bahama Breeze chains.

Working in its Orlando-based culinary department, Tony Roma's is developing children's entrees and plans to serve more vegetables. Next year, Orlando-area McDonald's restaurants will start serving Happy Meals with apples and fewer fries.

Nationally, chains such as Burger King, Chili's and Denny's have joined a program called Kids LiveWell. Participating restaurant companies list dishes that meet certain limits for salt, sugar, calories and fat.

The reforms are coming as restaurants face increasing pressure from government and health advocates to lower calories, fat and salt, especially on dishes served to kids.

"It's easier to make the case to protect kids at a time when childhood obesity is on such a rise," said Rick Van Warner, a former Darden spokesman who runs an Orlando consulting company.

First lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity initiative focuses on youngsters, and she has leaned on restaurants to offer healthier food. In California, Santa Clara County and San Francisco have banned toys from kids' meals unless they meet certain nutritional requirements, and New York City was considering such a ban.

And menus for all ages face will more scrutiny once a federal law requires chains to list each dish's calorie count. The FDA expects the law to go into effect next year.

Children are especially vulnerable, said Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University who has written several books about the intersection of food and politics.

"They don't think critically and can — and are easily trained to — pester their parents for advertised food products and meals, especially when the meals contain toys," she said in an email.

Nearly one-third of U.S. children are considered overweight or obese. Meanwhile, Americans spend half their food dollars at restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Armed with those statistics, the first lady has urged restaurants to make changes such as serving low-fat or skim milk and offering fruits or vegetables as the automatic side choice.

"If there's anyone who can sell healthy food to our kids, it's all of you," Obama told the National Restaurant Association last year. "You know what gets their attention. You know what makes a lasting impression."

The first lady appeared with Darden last week when it unveiled its plans, calling them a "breakthrough moment" for restaurants. Darden had been in talks about the first lady's program for more than a year.

At Darden, vegetables and low-fat milk will automatically accompany children's meals. Menus will not list fries and sodas. They still will be available by request in most cases, but experts and parents say the adage holds that when something is out of sight, it's out of mind.

"If it's not on the menu," said Andrea Donohue, an Ocoee mother of two, "it's not an option."

At its Orlando restaurant on Semoran Boulevard, Tony Roma's will later this year introduce a grilled-chicken taco and pasta with red sauce for the children's menu and also plans to offer vegetables as sides. Sprite Zero, a no-calorie soft drink, will get more prominently displayed.

Tony Roma's is also developing a "tween" menu for kids who have outgrown the children's meals but don't need heaping adult plates.

"If you look at calories, they shouldn't be eating adult portions," said Bob Gallagher, Tony Roma's vice president of culinary.

Yet even those who applaud the changes say restaurants still have a long way to go.

"I feel like everybody's doing it just enough to say that they're doing it," said Julie Casey, a former Darden researcher who runs an Orlando consulting company that helps restaurants become more family-friendly.

Indeed, many kids' meals still are loaded with fat, sodium and sugar. Changing that isn't just the right thing to do, Casey said, it's good for business.

Parents "have told us they would eat out more often if there was more of a selection of healthy menu choices," she said.