The Worst Restaurant Foods for Kids

Childhood obesity rates in America have tripled since 1980. Today, 16 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. In addition to those 9 million children who are already in trouble, an additional 15 percent of American kids are classified as “at risk of becoming overweight or obese.”

We’re not just talking baby fat here—70 percent of overweight adolescents end up overweight or obese in adulthood. And since obesity increases your odds of heart attack, stroke, and early death of all causes (sometimes by as much as 33 percent), consider the impact of an entire generation of overweight children on our country’s health care system—and families. It’s a chilling thought, especially if one of those children is your own.

In spite of these terrifying statistics, the restaurant industry has done little to help combat the problem. If anything, the overstuffed, fat- and calorie-packed kids’ meals on many chain restaurants’ menus indicate that they’re just making things worse. What’s even more frustrating is that it’s hard to tell how good—or atrocious—any particular food item can be just by looking at the name. Who knew a kids’ turkey burger could pack half a day’s worth of calories? Or a simple plate of spaghetti and red sauce could have the sodium equivalent of FOUR large orders of McDonald’s french fries? Luckily, Eat This, Not That! is here to help you order smart and sensible food for your children when you’re eating away from home. Skip these dietary disasters to help keep your kids lean, strong, and healthy.

Worst Kids’ Side: Bob Evans Smiley Face Potatoes

• 524 calories
• 31 g fat (6 g saturated, 0 g trans)
• 646 mg sodium
• 57 g carbs

Not even an extended bath in hot oil could wipe the grins from the faces of these creepy-looking potatoes. When eating out, side dishes make or break a meal, and with more fat and calories than Bob’s Sirloin Steak, this side falls woefully into the latter category. Let this be a lesson to all the kids out there: Just because they’re smiling doesn’t mean they’re nice. Choose the Home Fries instead for a fraction the calories and a quarter the fat.

Eat This, Instead: Home Fries

• 86 calories
• 7 g fat (1 g saturated)
• 547 mg sodium
• 27 g carbs

Worst Kids’ Sandwich: Au Bon Pain Kids’ Grilled Cheese

• 670 calories
• 41 g fat (25 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
• 1,060 mg sodium

Au Bon Pain turns a simple sandwich into a complicated mess—this grilled cheese has as much saturated fat as 25 strips of bacon! The Au Bon Pain kids’ menu contains just as many items over 500 calories as under, so it’s important to be vigilant. Choose the small mac ‘n cheese to satisfy your kid’s cheese cravings for a mere one-third the calories and none of the heart-harming trans fats. And to keep your own diet trans fat-free, avoid any item on this list of the trans-fattiest foods in America.

Eat This, Instead: Kids’ Macaroni and Cheese

• 250 calories
• 14 g fat (9 g saturated, 0 g trans)

Worst Kids’ Mexican Meal: On the Border Cheese Quesadilla

• 850 calories
• 66 g fat (26 g saturated)
• 1,250 mg sodium
• 26 g carbs

This quesadilla accounts for half the calories your child should consume in an entire day (that’s nearly 3 McDonald’s cheeseburgers, for comparison). It also comes super-stuffed with sodium, which is especially bad for kids because it makes them thirsty, which means they’re more likely to drink an excess of super-sweetened, high-calorie fruit juice or soda to compensate. Talk about a real diet disaster. Choose a soft chicken taco, but order it without the fat- and calorie-packed rice and beans.

Eat This, Instead: Soft Chicken Taco

• 250 calories
• 11 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
• 910 mg sodium
• 24 g carbs

Worst Kids’ “Healthy” Burger: Ruby Tuesday Kids' Turkey Minis and Fries

• 873 calories
• 46 g fat
• 88 g carbs
• (Sodium content not listed)

In a perfect world, ground turkey is leaner than ground beef and a turkey burger is a decent thing to feed your kid. But Ruby Tuesday finds a way to confound all expectations by cramming half a day’s worth of calories into these tiny burgers. We chose the turkey version because it presents itself as a healthier alternative to the beef burgers, but in reality it has only 44 fewer calories than the mini-cheeseburger with fries. Not exactly a “healthy” alternative at all. Discover other atrocious “health” foods on our list of the 14 worst “healthy” foods in America.

Eat This, Instead: Chop Steak with Mashed Potatoes

• 403 calories
• 30 g fat
• 15 g carbs