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UP TO 68% of children’s meals in restaurants across Ireland and the UK contain more total fat and saturated fat than recommended by health guidelines, according to new study.
The research, by Cork Institute of Technology and the University of Roehampton, also found that fast-food restaurant meals contained less energy, fat, and salt than did full-service restaurants, and meal deals were less likely to meet dietary guidelines than main meals alone.
The study looked at children’s menus from 20 “popular” chain restaurants, and analysed 39,266 meals.
The research, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, found that the average meal for children:
A total of 68% of younger children’s and 55% of older children’s meals contained more total fat than recommended and more than four times the amount of saturated fat.
The research also found that comparing meal deals and the single main course highlighted the extent to which additional courses and drinks contribute to the energy content of a meal.
In particular, by choosing the meal deal option, seen as more convenient and cheaper, parents are perhaps unknowingly ordering meals that exceed dietary recommendations.
Author Dr Tara Coppinger, Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies at CIT said: “As families are opting to eat out more regularly, our findings indicate a worrying trend of young children eating increasingly unhealthy food.
While the sugar sweetened drinks tax that came into effect in 2018 was a positive step to help improve the quality of food and drink on offer, this study proves that there is still a lot of work to be done in many of the country’s most popular restaurants.
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In the olden days people used to cook for their own kids, and on the rare occasions they might have brought them out for dinner the majority recognised that the chef and restaurant staff weren’t surrogate parents there to serve their children’s best interests.
@Winston Smith: yeah that’s a lovely tale of the days of yore. Surely on the rare occasion a family eats out they should be able to reasonably assume that the children’s menu is suitable for a child.
@Winston Smith: Its because both mammy and daddy now have to work….we have created the perfect conditions for stress and healthiness at home because of the dream of women working….I personally think they are nuts staying home minding kids is a hell of a lot less stressful then a full time job….men and women will soon be dying roughly the same age as each other soon because of this.
@Winston Smith: Also in the old days , kids were running around like mad yokes from dawn til dusk. Calories were soon shed.
@Peter Hughes: not sure how you find children less stressful than a job..
It takes me 2-3 days to recover from spending a day with my cousins’ kids, and that’s with minimal interaction. On the other hand, after a stressful day at my job, I used to just ring my mother, vent for a few minutes and then felt better.
I will never have children, and right now am very thankful for that position, as I’m broke (less than €5 in my bank account), unemoloyed, and on the verge of homelessness, following a screw up from my electricity supplier, that left me in more debt than I can afford.
Just as well there are no children in this with me.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: The thing is now women like men have to work and bring up the kids…..its a lose lose situation, no time for anything because both parents are flat out and stressed constantly….no breaks for anyone, cache bills and all sorts on top…..I really don’t know how they manage these days and not fall apart…..sorry to hear about your situation by the way.
@Winston Smith: ah the old days when the country was skint. I miss them. No wait I don’t!
@Peter Hughes: I love how you assume most mother’s work because they want to rather than that silly desire to… I don’t know…live indoors…the cost of living has skyrocketed to the point where both parents have to work. They don’t have a choice.
Of course many women would choose to work outside the home but the choice simply isn’t there for most.
@Peter Hughes: I absolutely agree that it’s not great that in most cases, both parents need to work.. but why automatically assume the mother will be the one to stay at home?
I mean, as soon as I turned 10 and was old enough to be trusted at home alone for a couple of hours, my mum jumped at the chance to go back to work. She happened to find it more fulfilling than being a stay at home mum. My dad has always earned enough that she has never needed to work, but she’s been at her current place of employment for about 20 years now and is happy with that.
If/when she retired, I can see her setting up a side gig, just to have something to do that is similar to a job, but on her own terms. She could do it now, if she wanted to, but just doesn’t feel like it yet.
Restaurants seem to think the only thing that kids are capable of eating are burgers, sausages and chips. I can never understand why they just don’t sell 1/2 portions of their normal menu at 1/2 price?
@Shakka1244: Honestly what normal kid actually wants the depth of flavour thats usually in a grown ups dish? I know there are those absolute legends out there that have their little ones gobbling down oysters at age two, but come on.
@Cynical: You have taken my comment to the absolute extreme. So you think it’s OK that burgers, sausages and chips are the only thing available on kids menus in the vast majority of places? Why not provide additional options?
Eating meals out can be unhealthy. Wow that is a serious bit of research done there. Money well spent. Look at any kids menu and it will be burger and chips, nuggets and chips, pizza etc. That’s why you dont bring your kids out for dinner every day. Once in a while is fine. I’d say a high percentage of adult meals are also fattier than recommended and if anyone is relying on restaurants for every meal they will end up fat.
@Hugh Jass: just don’t buy off the kids menu, we never did. Small portion of a normal dinner instead
Just leave the kids at home. Sorted.
@Luke Lee: can’t wait till mine are old enough to drive…
@Luke Lee: You’ve been watching the McCanns it seems.
Jesus just order something healthy then for them ffs
@Patti o furniture: Loaves and fishes it is then.
Bit of a misleading headline considering it was 20 popular chain restaurants who most likely use cheap mass manufactured ingredients and not your average good quality restaurant who uses fresh ingredients and cooks from scratch.
@Mill Lane: Agreed it’s the chemicals they add to this food that do extra damage…riddled with E numbers and preservatives pure and utter poison
Eating out is supposed to be fun and a treat for the family. Kids will generally eat their nuggets and chips without fuss, whereas cajoling them to eat their veggies can take some of the fun away. It’s not like it’s an everyday occurrence to eat out.
So they invent all this food that looks great and tastes great, then they let you taste it and then scream DON’T EAT THAT, ITS BAD FOR YOU!!!I hate that….:(
A lot of full service restaurants shove out the same junk as fast food places, on their kiddie menu, with the exception of maybe a half bolognese or some mash added on.
Either way most younger kids leave half of it behind.
Fast food unhealthy? Well I never!!
Parents need to cop on to themselves and not bring their children to these places. What kind of treat is it to feed your child that slop?
@Ed: A break from cooking ? I cook all the meals at home I like a break every now and then.
@Joanne McLaughlin: A break from cooking doesn’t mean you have to take them somewhere that sells slop packaged nicely in a happy meal box.
@Ed: If you had read it properly it said that the meals in sit down restaurants contained more fat salt and calories than fast food places.
@Joanne McLaughlin: I never said to go to a sit down restaurant.
Shockin news …. welli never….
Whatever about adults , we are old enough to differentiate between good healthy food and processed crap but please don’t force it on kids.
They will grow up into another “chipper” generation.
Carbs are the problem, not fat. Carbs store fat
Your headline synopsis is misleading. Please learn how to use commas properly.
This is another load of BS from the white coat fraternity.
Someone at The Journal really needs to learn English. The article headline states that “kids meals” are healthier than those at full-service restaurants. ….
I love seeing fat, rotund 10 year olds with pink cheeks. It’s a mark of the progress we’re making in nutrition.
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