Eating out? Get calorie-informed.

Going out for fast food with the kids? Try going to restaurants that list down nutrition information in their menus. According to US researchers, parents who have access to fast-food menus with calorie information tend to choose lower calorie selections for their children.

Study leader Dr. Pooja S. Tandon of Seattle Children’s Research Institute said the study involved 99 parents of children ages 3-6, who sometimes eat in fast-food restaurants with their children. They were presented with sample McDonald’s restaurant menus which included current prices and pictures of items, and asked what they would select for themselves and also for their children as a typical meal.

Half of the parents were given menus that also clearly showed calorie information for each item. Choices included most of the items sold at McDonald’s, including a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, dressings, side items, beverages, desserts and “Happy Meals.”

The study, published in The Journal Pediatrics, found parents who were given the calorie information chose 102 fewer calories on average — a calorie reduction of approximately 20 percent — for their children, compared with the group who did not have access to calorie information on their menus.

“Even modest calorie adjustments on a regular basis can avert weight gain and lead to better health over time,” Tandon said in a statement. “Just an extra 100 calories per day may equate to about 10 pounds of weight gain per year.”

With obesity becoming a bigger (excuse the pun) problem among Americans, a news item like this offers a simple step to improving the health of everyone in the family. No need to deprive yourself or your kids a happy meal every now and then. But if you are going to indulge, there’s a way to do it without having to tip the scales. Check the menu for calories and eat wisely.

They’re kids, they need the calories so let them eat what they want is an old, debunked belief that can have dangerous consequences. Children need healthy calories and you also have to keep their sugar and fat intake under control.

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