Top List of Five Worst Fast-Food Kids Meals

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With 840 calories, 37 grams of fat, and about as much sodium as a child should consume in an entire day, McDonald’s Mighty Kids Meal has topped a list of the five most unhealthful fast-food meals marketed to children. The list, also includes meals from Wendy’s, KFC, A&W, and Burger King/Hungry Jacks.

All five of these worst fast-food kids meals are high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. None would meet the nutritional standards for healthful children’s lunches. Fast-food kids meals are heavily marketed: Children now see more fast-food ads on television than ever before.

“Kids shouldn’t have to dodge cholesterol bombs packaged in colorful, toy-filled boxes,” says nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “We’re losing the war against childhood obesity, but fast-food chains are still making obscene profits by targeting children with high-fat meals.”

Here are the five most unhealthful kids meals, ranked from worst to least bad:

Rank	Five Worst Fast-Food Kids Meals	Nutritional Profile
Worst	McDonald’s Mighty Kids Meal: Double Cheeseburger, French fries, and chocolate milk	840 calories; 37 grams of fat
2nd Worst	Wendy’s Kids’ Meal: Chicken Sandwich, French fries, and chocolate Frosty	770 calories; 34 grams of fat
3rd Worst	KFC Kids Meal: Popcorn chicken, potato wedges, string cheese, and soda	800 calories; 1,800 milligrams of sodium
4th Worst	A&W Kids Meal:  Cheeseburger, French fries, and soda	780 calories; 9 grams of saturated fat
5th Worst	Burger King’s BK Kids: Breakfast muffin sandwich meal	95 milligrams of cholesterol; exceeds recommended limit on sodium intake for child’s breakfast

A report  from researchers  found that children who live near or attend schools close to fast-food restaurants are more likely to be obese. In a trend driven by the obesity epidemic, an estimated one in three children born in 2000 will develop diabetes in his or her lifetime, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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