There's more nutritional value in that Donkey head than in the sandwich!

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Since when does one go to a fast food restaurant and expect that the kids meal to be more healthy than the adults' menu? Seriously, folks!

Whose responsibility is it to make sure that kids are eating correctly? Society's or the parents? I'm guessing if the parent's don't care what THEY are eating, they probably don't care what THEIR kids are eating either.

I don't see how this is science in the public interest if this only focuses on the child, unless the next logical step is to say that the child is abused by being fed this food and is abused for being overweight. Then the government can step in and take the child out of the abusive relationship.

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The horrible CSPI must be countered at every turn by common sense, moderation, and individual personal choice - three things they think we apparently lack. (Well we lack the first two: groups like the CSPI work tirelessly to deprive us of the last, personal choice.)

This laughable (and evil) group of political cretins cares nothing about the public interest - only their own publicity. Please let them fade into obscurity.

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People are just now noticing that the typical kids menu -- even at a sit-down restaurant -- is crap topped with cheese and a side of fries?

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I honestly don't think most parents give a rat's a** about their kids health. Let's be honest here.

If parents did care, they'd change alot more than just their kid's eating habits....they'd actually give a damn about their kids' future as well by changing the way they (i.e. the parents) live their lives too...like not drive around in a 8 passenger SUV to drop their kid off to school.

I'm sure I'll get alot of flak for this but this is the reality of it and most people don't like to hear it because it seriously hurts their ego.

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The fast food chains target kids and the government knows the kids are being targeted. Flouride in the water dumbs down the parents and the kids and the government knows that too. Re: global warming...mars ice caps have melted along with our own ice caps. Mars is further away from the sun then earth. The sun is causing global warming... unless there are suv's on mars.

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This news has been out for over a week...

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Try a McD's milkshake sometime. The large has over 1100 calories itself!

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I don't think that parents are actually thinking these things are heathly, I think sometimes they are just not thinking. Some places at least are starting to offer some healthy choices, at least as sides. Whenever we go out to eat with our 2 boys (3 & 6), we always take some baby carrots with us, so we know they will have some vegetables, something the kids meals often lack completely. Fortuantely for us, our kids don't even like french fries, so we have no arguments about that. If the is another choice, they choose it.

From my point of view a "study" like this and the press it receives are more of a reminder that we ought to be thinking about these sorts of things, which some parents do need to be reminded about. If it makes even a few percent of parents change their habits (where they go to eat, what choices they make with their kids), then I think it is worth it. Perhaps parents now and then need to be reminded that french fries are not a vegetable.

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I went and read the actual press release about this topic and I found the final sentence the most interesting: "Applebee’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and IHOP do not disclose nutrition information for most menu items even upon request."

The mind reels!!!

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INNY.

You are wrong...the ice caps on Mars have been melting for a much much longer period of time than they have been on Earth.

Global climate change occurs naturally but not at the rate we are experiencing. What we are experiencing is 100% man-made.

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Noz...

I agree with Alex Jones and his experts. Who are your sources?

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Why is this even news? And why did it require a study? Seriously are we running out of non-obvious topics or soemthing?

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inny...

My sources are where I work...NASA/Jet Propulsion Labs.

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We don't eat at McDonalds often (I have switched my twice a week coffee stop from Starbucks to McDonald's iced coffees), but the last time we were there, we got the kids a happy meal. The nutritional information is on the bag, and I found out you can basically have a happy meal that's the 4pc chicken nugget, apple slices, and a white milk for the caloric value almost equal to JUST the cheese burger that's in the Big Kid Meal.

And how can there be that many kcal in the Applebee's kids' meals? There's hardly any food in them! You switch from french fries to apple sauce and you end up with 2 slivers of chicken and a lunchbox sized cup of applesauce.

People have very little knowledge about what the caloric requirements for young children are, and then even when they know, they'll opt for convenience more often than not. Not a pretty state of affairs.

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Noz...

Some people sacrifice their lives for their country...other people sacrifice their country for their jobs.

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INNY:

What on earth are you talking about?

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I highly suspect INNY is a troll. I googled this guy Alex Jones, and I suspect anyone stupid enough to believe what he says (Illuminati, 9/11 troof, etc) would have trouble being able to type "slashfood.com" in their browser.

Then again, it seems odd to troll a food blog of all places. The point is, I don't think we should bother arguing over his politics on this blog, as they are 95% irrelevant. He's turned a public interest group into an extreme anti-authority debate, which makes no sense. The group isn't rallying that large kid meals should be illegal. They want to raise awareness. Plus, many diet groups suggest ordering kids meals when eating out, so it's good to know that just because it's kids sized doesn't mean that it's automatically healthy.

Then again, INNY, if Slashfood ever discusses the catering menus for the Trilateral Commission's annual meeting, feel free to pipe in. As of now, you've hijacked a blog people like to engage in to focus on food. Cuisine is something that unites people, often crossing cultures faster than tolerance or acceptance. Starting a flame war here, which seems to be what you want to start, is just plain mean and abusive of a service many people like.

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Tim,

Well put. While I don't want to exacerbate the situation, I want to point out a few things;

A) Just because I work for JPL/Nasa does not mean I'm like some other gungho, militaristic types of engineers who thing working on weaponry and so on is a good thing. I hate that aspect of some of the stuff these aerospace companies do...and it's immoral in my opinion.

B) What I work on is directly related to acquiring data for analyzing climate changes, issues, etc...this is how we are aware that our (human contributions) impact on the environment is FAR more negative than many wish to accept...and they want to blame it on everything except themselves? Does that sound familiar for a group of people who wish not take an responsibility for their actions?

C)Alex Jones I am aware of. Some of things he says makes sense...some things don't. He has certain beliefs that are backed up various other people....whoever they may be. I agree with some things he says, and disagree with others. There are MANY quite respectable engineers and scientists who question (and rightly so) the events of 9/11...even many at JPL do because they are looking at it from a scientific, engineering point of view...not a political point of view.

With that said, regarding the environment....alot of right wingers make fun of environmentalists can call them crackpots. OK...perhaps the extremists...but which extremist is right anyway?

People who care about the environment are ridiculed all the time...which I don't understand. When they ask for better quality air, less pollution, cleaner water, less waste, etc...why would anyone make fun of them?

OK..I'm done...back to food.:)

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What I wonder is why more restaurants don't offer kids meals that are just smaller portions of adult meals, maybe things with say vegetables and some sort of protein that isn't processed to death or deep fried.

When my husband, who is Norwegian, went with me to vist family in the US, he just could not believe the size of some kids portions. We went to an Outback because that was one of the few places my brother was comfortable taking his three year old, and the child's portion of ice cream for desert would have been large enough for my husband and myself to share. (for the record the three year old's father decided to take matters in his own hands and let her have half and take half for himself).

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