‘We’ll have the chicken strips and an apple, hold the fries’

Full kids’ meals (entrée, side option and beverage): 

For parents, it is a recurring dilemma: do I let my six-year-old son order a burger and fries or should I encourage him to pick something healthier from the menu?

The U.S. National Restaurant Association has developed a program called Kids LiveWell, which identifies and certifies menu items that are healthy and nutritious for kids, said Joan McGlockton, National Restaurant Association vice-president of industry affairs and food policy.

“It’s a way for restaurants to not only demonstrate that they have these (healthy) products, but also participate in a nationwide website where consumers can go and find the menu items the restaurant has.”

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In tandem with Healthy Dining, a U.S. organization that helps diners choose nutritious foods, the National Restaurant Association launched Kids LiveWell last July.

Starting with 19 restaurant chains and approximately 15,000 restaurants, including Burger King and Denny’s, the program has since expanded to 96 restaurant brands and 25,000 locations in the U.S.

To qualify for the program and its stamp of approval, a menu item must satisfy nutritional guidelines created by leading health organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Full course meals must feature at least two sources of the following:

1/2 cup of fruit
1/2 cup of vegetables
whole grains
lean protein

“We have third party dietitians who verify that the menu items do, in fact, meet the criteria. So there is an outside third party providing assurance to parents,” said McGlockton, who has been surprised by the rapid expansion of the program, in less than a year since its launch date.

The program’s popularity may be attributed to endorsements by nutrition experts like David Katz, a Yale University professor who specializes in preventive medicine, editor of the Childhood Obesity journal and a health and nutrition columnist for the New York Times.

“Eating well, especially when eating out, is the road much less travelled in America today,” he said, in a statement.

“With this initiative, the National Restaurant Association and Healthy Dining are helping to pave that path and make healthful eating more accessible to all.”

As well, former U.S. president Bill Clinton praised the program for tackling the childhood obesity crisis in America.

McGlockton readily admitted that Kids LiveWell won’t end childhood obesity but the restaurant industry wants to do its bit.

“The whole issue of helping people lead healthy lives is complex,” she said from her office in Washington, D.C. “There are a number of different reasons that we found ourselves in the situation we’re in, with respect to the obesity epidemic. The restaurant industry wants to be part of the solution.”

Besides helping parents identify menu items with fewer calories, the vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy and lean meats that quality for Kids LiveWell are all part of a well rounded diet, McGlockton said.

“It’s making sure the child gets some of those positive nutrients, as well.”

So far, Kids LiveWell is restricted to U.S. restaurants.

Garth Whyte, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, says it will take a year or more to develop and unveil a Canadian version.

“I think it’s a great program. Really what it does, it heightens awareness of Americans, of what a lot of larger chains are doing (offering healthy meals),” he said. “I’d love to do it in Canada and I think it will be done. But it’s a matter, for us, of resources.”

The association is currently dealing with issues related to healthy dining such as nutritional labelling, sodium, trans fats and allergens, Whyte said.

Kids LiveWell program

To qualify for Kids LiveWell, a U.S. National Restaurant Association program, featured menu items must meet specific nutrition criteria recommended by leading health organizations and verified by registered dietitians. A Kids LiveWell full meal must satisfy the following criteria:

Full kids’ meals (entrée, side option and beverage):

600 calories or less
35 percent or less of calories from total fat
10 percent or less of calories from saturated fat

0.5 grams or less of trans fat (artificial trans fat only)
35 percent or less of calories from total sugars (added and naturally occurring)
770 mg or less of sodium

Full meals must include two sources of the following items:

Fruit (includes 100 percent juice), 1/2 cup or more
Vegetables, 1/2 cup or more
Whole grains
At least two ounces lean meat, one egg equivalent, 1 oz. nuts/seeds/dry bean/peas or tofu. Lean meat includes skinless white meat poultry, fish, seafood, beef or pork
1/2 cup or more of one percent or skim milk and dairy products (while not considered low-fat, two percent milk is allowed if included in the meal and the meal still fits the full meal criteria)