David Zinczenko was not surprised by the report this month that found most kids' meals at popular chain restaurants are far too high in calories.
"There's a lot more that needs to be done to get smart and healthful choices at restaurants for kids," says Zinczenko, best-selling author of a new book, Eat This, Not That! For Kids! with Matt Goulding.
The book offers color photos of good and not-so-good choices at fast-food and chain restaurants, as well as comparisons of processed and home-cooked foods.
It's a natural sequel to Eat This, Not That!, which has been in the top 150 books on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list for 34 weeks.
His new book comes on the heels of a report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group, that found that some children's meals contain more than 1,000 calories, almost as many as some kids need for the entire day.
Children eat an average of 167 restaurant meals in a year, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.
Zinczenko, editor in chief of Men's Health, and his colleagues singled out the kids' offerings at the most popular chain restaurants. When kids' meals weren't available -- or the choices weren't very good -- he selected items from the regular menu.
"A lot of times the adult menu was better than all the beige items being served to kids -- french fries, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese," Zinczenko says.
Some of the "eat this" choices may not suit nutrition-conscious parents. For instance, he recommends fried chicken strips from KFC, a breaded Pepper Pals corn dog with mashed potatoes from Chili's, and onion rings with a Whopper Jr. from Burger King.
Not exactly health food.
Sometimes "it comes down to the lesser of several evils," he says. "The average American driving down the highway doesn't have any place that offers a wide variety of low-calorie, highly nutritious foods.
"Our goal isn't to advocate or legitimize any fast-food diet but rather to help families make the smartest decision possible in any given eating situation including the rather grim ones that many chain restaurants offer."
Some rankings from the book
Worst kids' meal Try instead Chili's Pepper Pals country-fried chicken crispers with ranch dressing and home-style fries: 1,100 calories, 82 grams of fat, 1,980 milligrams of sodium. Pepper Pals grilled chicken platter with cinnamon apples: 350 calories, 11 grams of fat, 870 milligrams of sodium. Worst dessert Try instead Uno Chicago Grill's Kids' Sundae: 840 calories, 36 grams of fat. No sodium listed. Kids' slush: 140 calories and no fat. Worst Mexican meal Try instead On the Border's kids' beef soft taco Mexican dinner with rice and refried beans: 840 calories, 35 grams of fat, 2,760 milligrams of sodium. Kids' grilled chicken with black beans: 310 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1,230 milligrams of sodium.
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