All I remember is that when I was little, we used to go the the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) and I’d beg and plead for the chocolate pancake with the smiley face formed of cherry eyes, a chocolate chip smile and whipped cream nose. Maybe not such a good idea. To combat obesity however, more than 15,000 restaurants in the U.S., representing 19 different chains, including Burger King, Cracker Barrel, Chili’s, Denny’s and IHOP, are participating in a voluntary new initiative called Kids LiveWell.

Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said:

“Kids’ meals have become synonymous with junk. They are usually a hamburger, a slice of pizza or fried chicken tenders with a side of french fries and a soda. We need to get to the point that the kids’ meals are the healthiest meals, because kids are growing and developing and forming eating habits that are going to affect their health for the rest of their lives.”

Kids LiveWell is the very first initiative by the restaurant industry to demonstrate its commitment to offering healthful menu items for children, with a focus on increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy and limiting unhealthy fats, added sugars and sodium.

The new, nationwide initiative created by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with HealthyDiningFinder.com will provide parents and children with a growing selection of healthful menu options when dining out.

Jean Birch, IHOP President stated:

“Providing our guests with delicious choices to meet their dining needs is at the heart of the IHOP experience. We are proud to be an inaugural leader of the Kids LiveWell effort and to further demonstrate IHOP’s commitment to serving quality, craveable, made-to-order menu options that make choosing healthful items easier when dining out.”

In addition, IHOP’s “Kids Eat Free” promotion will return to restaurants nationwide beginning August 1. Every day in August from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at participating locations, families with kids under 12 can receive one free kids meal from the “Just for Kids” menu with the purchase of each adult entree.

Many meals that fit into the program will carry an icon of a red apple. They must include an entree, side dish and beverage and contain 600 calories or less, plus meet other nutritional criteria.

Anita Jones-Mueller, founder of Healthy Dining adds:

“These and other meals meet the gold standard in terms of being healthy. Kids can eat French fries, hamburgers and fried foods some of the time when they are eating out, but not all the time.”

Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern.

The first problems to occur in obese children are usually emotional or psychological. Childhood obesity however can also lead to life-threatening conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep problems, cancer, and other disorders. Some of the other disorders would include liver disease, early puberty or menarche, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, skin infections, and asthma and other respiratory problems.

Source: Healthy Diner

Written by Sy Kraft