Beginning Friday, restaurants in Montgomery County that already offer children’s meals must include at least one healthy choice on their kids menu.
Children can still order greasy fries and sugary soda, but they also can choose to feast on fruit, edamame, brown rice, salad, milk and unsweetened juice.
Good nutrition is necessary for holistic development and the ability for children to reach their full potential, explained Linda Plummer, president of the Montgomery County NAACP.
“Food is medicine,” declared former Councilmember Craig Rice, who spearheaded the push for healthy choices on kids meals. He was one of several speakers at the Silver Diner in Rockville Thursday. That restaurant has been offering health choices for children since 2012.
According to the American Heart Association, 42% of children in America between the ages of 2 and 9 eat fast food on any given day. When families go to restaurants, they tend to eat foods packed with calories, salt, sugar and fat, the organization noted.
By substituting fruits, vegetables and whole grains rather than fries and chips, children are less likely to be obese or suffer from diseases like diabetes, according to the speakers.
Under the new law, the healthy drink option cannot have added natural or artificial sweeteners.
The meal portion must include:
- 1/2 cup of unfried vegetables or fruit, excluding juice, condiments, or spreads,
- a whole grain product
- a lean protein, consisting of one ounce or more of meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, beans, or peas, or one egg, or 1/2 cup of nonfat or 1% milk or low-fat yogurt, or one ounce of reduced fat cheese; or a plant-based, nondairy alternative.
Altogether, the healthy meal must be about 600 calories.
