Fast food meals are a reality for most kids, at least occasionally, if not more often. When teaching nutrition, you can help to influence their choices by explaining how they can make fast food options healthier. According to a recent study, two choices can help ensure kids get the nutrition they need when eating fast food kids' meals. First drinking milk instead of soda, and second, ordering fruit. Using criteria from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) as a benchmark for appropriate nutrient requirements, researchers assessed kids' meals for 12 fast food restaurants. The only meals that met all NSLP guidelines included milk and fruit. These meals also provided more iron, vitamin A and calcium, and less fat and added sugar than meals that did not meet the guidelines.

Here are some tips to help kids put these findings into action when you teach Little D's Nutrition Expedition®:

Teach Activities 2 and 5 - Teach students how milk and fruit help to keep them healthy with Activities 2 and 5, Sir Milkford and Lady Holly's Milk Group and Queen Anna Banana's Fruit Group. Send home the Magnificent Milk Group story, the Thank Goodness for Cows mini-book and Queen Anna Banana's Fruit Rhymes for students to share with their parents. The story, mini-book and rhyme masters are in the "Portfolio" in the back of your Little D's Nutrition Expedition® notebook binder. Decide What Little D Would Do - Extend these lessons by helping Little D order different kids' meals. Use it as an opportunity to remind students that the healthy choices would be to order white or flavored milk instead of soda, and to order fruit, such as apple slices, as a side dish with their fast food kids' meals. Let Parents Know - Send home the February Nutrition Fun Facts newsletter (PDF), which includes information about this study. In fact, plan to send Fun Facts home every month. It's a great way involve parents in nutrition learning throughout the year.

Source: O'Donnell, SI, et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 88: 1388-95, 2008.

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Developed by NATIONAL DAIRY COUNCIL®, Little D's Nutrition Expedition® and Arianna's Nutrition Expedition™ are Five-Food-Group-based, teacher-tested programs that support the USDA's MyPyramid food guidance system. See all NATIONAL DAIRY COUNCIL® nutrition education resources at
www.NutritionExplorations.org.