Fast Food Kid’s meals are not as Unhealthy as you Might Think

A new report released Thursday asserts a Chick-fil-A kid’s meal is among the five worst fast food kids meals that claim to be healthy, The report is obviously slanted and biased.  The report, which was commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says Chick-fil-A's Grilled Nuggets Kids Meal contains the same amount of cholesterol as a McDonald's Big Mac.  Chick-fil-A’s grilled nuggets do not contain the same amount of cholesterol as a McDonald’s Big Mac.  The Big Mac has 75mg of cholesterol and the grilled nuggets have 65mg. 

According to the article, when the six grilled nuggets are paired with waffle fries and low-fat chocolate milk, the meal has 570 calories, 19 grams of fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,150 milligrams of sodium and 23 grams of sugars, the report says.  The healthy kid’s meal was not meant to be paired with waffle fries and chocolate milk.  Six grilled nuggets only contain 110 calories.  When six grilled nuggets are paired with a fruit cup and milk the meal is only 250 calories.  Get 4 nuggets instead of six and the total becomes 220 calories.

The report claims that grilled chicken contains large amounts of PhIP, "a potent carcinogen that may play a role in the development of breast, prostate and other cancers."  But, PhIP occurs when any meat whether cooked at home or not that is cooked above 392 F or cooked on direct heat. 

The other kid’s meals on the list include the McDonald's Cheeseburger Happy Meal, the Sonic Kids' Jr. Burger Meal, and the Burger King Hamburger Kids Meal.  The McDonald's Cheeseburger Happy Meal includes a Cheeseburger, fries, apple slices, and a drink (I used milk in my calculations) at 520 calories the meal also contains 100mg of vitamin C (170%) and only 50mg of cholesterol (16%).  The Sonic Kids' Jr. Burger Meal is 550 calories when you order a Jr. Burger, APPLE SLICES W/FAT-FREE CARAMEL DIPPING SAUCE, and an Apple juice box and the burger only contains 35mg of cholesterol.  The Burger King Hamburger Kids Meal contains 380 calories and includes apple slices and a small drink (I used milk in my calculations).

The report was commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine which promotes a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.  Any meal you or a restaurant prepares for your child that contains meat will not meet the ideals of the PCRM.  Brooke Henley a dietitian at Central GA Rehab at Medical Center of Central Georgia totally disagrees with this reports assessment of Chick-fil-A’s kid’s meals.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicians_Committee_for_Responsible_Medicine

http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/lunch-and-dinner-menu-202/bk-and-reg-kids-meal-229/hamburger-kids-meal-m2379/index.html

http://www.sonicdrivein.com/pdfs/menu/SonicNutritionGuide.pdf?0

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/meal_builder.html

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu-Detail/ChickfilA-Grilled-Nuggets#?details=nutrition&variation=ORA_5816count

http://chick-fil-a.com/Kids/New-Meals-Fact-Sheet

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Carcinogens-found-in-Grilled-chicken-14915-2/

http://hapeville.11alive.com/news/news/119826-chick-fil-kids-meal-among-least-healthy