Kids Eat Healthy While Dining Out
When eating out, do you find it hard to find options to make kids eat healthy? With fattening and calorie-packed meals pictured and advertised as great deals and delicious treats I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle to get my kids to eat healthy. When Mom Central offered the opportunity to attend the Kids LiveWell Blogger event I jumped all over it. This is a program I can really stand behind. Not only did my sister and I get to meet tons of fabulous people and gather up great information, we also received gift cards to restaurants participating in the Kids LiveWell program!
NRA #KidsLiveWell Blogger Event
At the event we got to enjoy yummy snacks and beverages, mingle with fellow bloggers and even meet celebrity Chef Marc Murphy!
One of my favorite parts of this event was getting to meet Dr. Joy Dubost, RD, CSSD! She’s everything I want to be when I grow up! 🙂
Of course, my sister and I also loved getting this close to Chef Marc Murphy… Yum.
What is Kids LiveWell all about?
The Kids LiveWell program is run by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and is empowering kids and parents nation wide with healthier choices at restaurants. The initiative focuses on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and limiting unhealthy fats, sugars and sodium.
With more than 33,000 participating locations across the country, eating out can finally be considered a healthy option. Finding locations is simple! Either check online for participating restaurants, or download the Kids LiveWell App in the Android Market or iTunes app store.
Once you’re on site, simply look for the Kids LiveWell logo or apple icon on the menu.
A Kids LiveWell meal provides the following:
- 600 Calories or less
- less than 35 percent of calories from total fat
- less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat
- less than 0.5 grams trans fat
- less than 35% of calories from sugar
- less than 770 mg of sodium
- Each meal must contain two sources of either fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein or low-fat dairy
Why Eat Out?
How often do you eat out with your family? If you’re on a budget, it may not be very often. That is definitely the case for my family. Plus I have always felt that if we can’t afford a fine dining establishment, I can make healthier meals in my own kitchen.
Because of this, we rarely, if ever get to share these memory-making opportunities. The kids and I took Gram (my grandma/their great grandma) to IHOP for lunch. The thing with Gram is, she never sits down to eat when eating at home. She’s always running around in the kitchen preparing food or cleaning up while everyone else eats. So getting her in a restaurant setting is just fabulous! We shared great conversation and with my goofy kids—shared a lot of laughs.
I love the fact that nutrition facts like calorie content are listed on the menu, especially for kids. Healthy habits should start as early as possible and I think awareness is half the battle.
Kids Eat Healthy While Dining Out
These two goofballs had a blast and actually picked one of the healthy meal options without me having to sway them! Trying to take a serious picture just wasn’t happening with the silly mood they were in. Kids will be kids… but at least they are making healthy choices!
You can find Kids LiveWell on Facebook and Twitter for more information and updates as well.
Looks like a fun event, I like the nutritional info too. Good to know. One of our favorite restaurants is IHOP and I’m always glad to see their healthy choices on the menu. Glad to see you got to get out with your grandmother- looks like you all had fun!
I didn’t know about this program. Great idea to help keep kids healthy!
I love finding ways to teach my children lessons they’ll take with them through life – like how to make good diet choices!
What a great event! I would love to attend this one day!
Looks like it was a great event!!! Love the message 🙂
I think it’s really important that kids eat healthy even when eating out. Some kid-centered restaurant meals are NOT that healthy. This is a great system!
We are starting to really add better foods to our family diet. It’s super important. This looks like a great plan.
looks like a great event, what fun you got to meet someone you want to be just like when you “grow up”
lots of kid-centered restaurant meals are horrible for kids 🙁
Cool, I’ll start to look for the apple icon! I have 4 little boys so this is really important over here!
Oh wow, that must have been such a great experience! I am such a huge fan of the Kids Live Well program and love that so many restaurants now participate.
What fun! My mom was the same way. She never sat at the table so the only way to get her too was to eat out.
Your grandma sounds like ours – she never sits down when she makes dinner because she’s running around taking care of us! I know she’d have fun at IHOP. I often order kid’s meals for myself because the portions are smaller, haha!
Okay, I don’t know what I am more stoked about.. that you met Chef Marc Murphy or that there are all these awesome healthy options for kids. They both are awesome!
PS your kids are flippin adorable! Love the pics!
This sounds like a great program. I haven’t heard of it before now but glad its around.
I didn’t realize there were that many restaurants participating. This is so helpful for parents who are trying their best to help kids learn healthy meal options!
I am always looking for ways for my daughter to eat healthier, and this looks great.
I can definitely relate to not finding many healthy options on the kids menu. I’m glad to know that there are a lot of restaurants participating in this promotion. Thanks for sharing!
I wish this type of program would of been around when I was raising my 5 boys. Such a great idea that so many restaurants are part of this program.
great idea thanks for sharing i believe our kids should eat healthier diets now adays with all the junk around…and get outside…more often..these machines are keeping them pinned inside and doing nothing…not here in my house they are to be outside at least the majority of the day enjoying the outdoors…not the machines..thanks for sharing
The food looks very tasty. Thanks for sharing!