Eat This, Not That! Authors Grade 43 National Chains; 6 Receive an "F"

    NEW YORK, Aug. 4 /eMediaWorld/ -- Which kids' menus are most likely to
make your children fat? A year-long study of children's meals has revealed
vast dietary differences among America's favorite fast-food and sit-down
chain restaurants, according to the authors of the new book EAT THIS, NOT
THAT! For Kids. Co-authors David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding calculated
calories, fat (trans- and saturated), and sodium, as well as the average
number of calories per children's entree, and discovered that many of
America's most popular chain restaurants are nutritional nightmares for
America's children.

    The authors compared children's entrees; credited restaurants for
having healthy adult options that would appeal to the young palate;
evaluated healthy vegetable and fruit sides and drink options that go
beyond sugar-laden soda; and docked points for restaurants still dishing
out unhealthy trans fats or for refusing to release any nutrition
information to their customers.

    The result is a Restaurant Report Card that holds each food chain
accountable for the fare they're serving up -- to moms, dads, kids, teens,
and everybody else -- along with a survival strategy for making it through
any meal unscathed.

    Did your favorite restaurant make the grade? (For complete descriptions
-- plus the best and worst meals at each -- please go to
eatthis.com/restaurants)

    A

    Chick-fil-A

    Chick-fil-A excels in every category we tested for. With a slew of
low-calorie sandwiches, the country's "healthiest" chicken nugget, a
variety of solid sides like fresh fruit and soup that can be substituted
into any meal, and nutritional brochures readily available for perusing at
each location, Chick-fil-A earns the award for America's Healthiest Chain
Restaurant (for kids, for the adults who drive them there, plus anybody
else wise enough to make it their fast food choice).

    Your Survival Strategy: Even the smartest kid in the class can still
fail a test, so be on your toes at all times, even at Chik-fil-A. Limit
salads with ranch or Caesar dressings, any sandwich with bacon, and make
milkshakes a special treat, not an everyday beverage.

    A-

    Subway (Also: Wendy's)

    A menu based on lean protein and vegetables is always going to score
well in our book. With more than half a dozen sandwiches under 300
calories, plus a slew of soups and healthy sides to boot, Subway can
satisfy even the pickiest eater without breaking the caloric bank.

    But, despite what Jared may want you to believe, Subway is not
nutritionally infallible: Those rosy calorie counts posted on the menu
boards include neither cheese nor mayo (add 160 calories per 6-inch sub)
and some of the toasted subs, like the Meatball Marinara, contain hefty
doses of calories, saturated fat, and sodium.

    Your Survival Strategy: Cornell researchers have discovered a "health
halo" at Subway, which refers to the tendency to reward yourself or your
kid with chips, cookies, and large soft drinks because the entree is
healthy. Avoid the halo, and all will be well.

    B+

    Boston Market (Also: Fazioli's, Jamba Juice)

    With more than a dozen healthy vegetable sides and lean meats like
turkey and roast sirloin on the menu, the low-cal, high-nutrient
possibilities at Boston Market are endless. But with nearly a dozen
calorie-packed sides and fatty meats like dark meat chicken and meat loaf
(which contains an unfathomable 55 ingredients!), it's almost as easy to
construct a lousy meal.

    Your Survival Strategy: There are three simple steps to nutritional
salvation: 1) Start with turkey, sirloin, or rotisserie chicken. 2) Add two
noncreamy, nonstarchy vegetable sides. 3) Ignore all special items, such as
pot pie and nearly all of the sandwiches.

    B

    McDonald's (Also: Arby's, KFC, Panera Bread)

    Though not blessed with an abundance of healthy options, Mickey D's
isn't burdened with any major calorie bombs, either. Kid standards like
McNuggets and cheeseburgers are both in the acceptable 300-calorie range.

    Your Survival Strategy: Apple Dippers and 2% milk with a small entree
makes for a pretty decent meal-on-the-go. McDonald's quintessential Happy
Meal(R) makes this possible -- just beware the usual French fries and soda
pitfalls. Adults should go for a Quarter Pounder without cheese.

    B-

    Bob Evans, Denny's

    C+

    Domino's (Also: Ben & Jerry's, Quizno's)

    Domino's suffers the same pitfalls of any other pizza purveyor: too
much cheese, bread, and greasy toppings. If you don't order carefully, your
child's pizza might come laden with more than 350 calories per slice. To
its credit, Domino's does keep the trans fat out of the pizza, and it also
offers the lowest-calorie thin crust option out there.

    Your Survival Strategy: Stick with the Crunchy Thin Crust pizzas sans
sausage and pepperoni. If your must order meat, ask for ham. And whenever
possible, try to sneak on a vegetable or two per pie.

    C

    Burger King (Also: Au Bon Pain, Cold Stone Creamery, Papa John's, Taco
Bell)

    BK has only four legitimate kids' entrees on the menu, and none of them
-- French Toast Sticks, hamburger, mac and cheese, chicken tenders -- are
particularly healthy. And while the recent addition of Apple Fries provides
a much-needed healthy side alternative for kids, the menu is still sullied
with trans fats. BK pledged to follow in the wake of nearly every other
chain restaurant and remove trans fats from the menu by the end of 2008,
but so far, we've seen little action. In fact, a large order of Hash Browns
has an outrageous 13 grams of the heart-threatening fat, and even an order
of Cini-minis will add 4.5 grams of trans fats to your kid's breakfast.

    Your Survival Strategy: Adults can sign on for the Whopper Junior and a
Garden Salad, and escape with only 365 calories. The best kids' meal? A
4-piece Chicken Tenders(R), applesauce or Apple Fries, and water or milk.
Beyond that, there is little hope of escaping unscathed.

    C-

    Chili's, Chuck E. Cheese's, Dunkin' Donuts, Jack in the Box, Ruby
Tuesday, Starbucks, Uno Chicago Grill

    D+

    Baskin Robbins, Dairy Queen, P.F. Chang's

    D

    Chipotle (Also: Baja Fresh, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, Romano's Macaroni
Grill)

    We applaud Chipotle's commitment to high-quality produce and fresh
meats, but even the most pristine ingredients can't limit the damage
wrought by the massive portion sizes the chain serves up. The lack of
options for kids means young eaters are forced to tussle with one of
Chipotle's behemoth burritos or taco platters, which can easily top 1,000
calories. Don't think you'll escape by ordering up a salad, either -- even
a leafy bowl at Chipotle can knock out more than half a day's worth of
calories.

    Your Survival Strategy: Stick to the crispy tacos or burrito bowls, or
saw a burrito in thirds.

    D-

    Cosi, On the Border

    F

    Applebee's, IHOP, Olive Garden, Outback, Red Lobster, T.G.I. Friday's

    These titans of the restaurant industry are among the last national
chains that don't provide nutritional information on their dishes. Even
after years of communication with their representatives, we still hear the
same old excuses: it's too pricey, it's too time-consuming, it's impossible
to do accurately because their food is so fresh. Our response is simple: If
every other chain restaurant in the country can do it, then why can't they?
Recent New York legislation requiring these restaurants to run calorie
counts on their menus gave diners a glimpse of what these establishments
are hiding: At Friday's, no fewer than nine sandwiches and ten appetizers
topple the 1000-calorie barrier; at IHOP, the "healthiest" entree-size
salad has a staggering 1050 calories; and at Outback, even a simple order
of salmon will wipe out 75% of your day's caloric allotment.

    Your Survival Strategy: Write letters, make phone calls, beg, scream,
and plead for these restaurants to provide nutritional information on all
of their products. Ask them why they refuse to tell us the truth!

    For a comprehensive A-to-F breakdown on all 43 other chain restaurants
-- plus the best and worst meals at each -- see the complete Eat This, Not
That! For Kids Restaurant Report Card at eatthis.com/restaurants.

    Eat This, Not That! For Kids is available nationwide on August 19th.

    DAVID ZINCZENKO is the Editor-in-Chief of Men's Health magazine and the
editorial director of Women's Health and Best Life magazines, as well as
the author of New York Times bestsellers The Abs Diet and The Abs Diet for
Women. Once an overweight child, Zinczenko has become one of the nation's
leading experts on health and fitness. He is a regular contributor to the
Today show and has appeared on Oprah, Ellen, Good Morning America, and
Primetime Live.

    MATT GOULDING is the food and nutrition editor of Men's Health. He has
cooked and eaten his way around the world, touching down in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, where he divides most of his time between keyboard and
stovetop.