Hard to find healthy fast-food kids' meals

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Parents looking for healthy meals at many U.S. fast food chains, don't have a lot of choices, a U.S. food advocacy group said Monday.

A report by the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington found nearly every possible combination of the children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box, Chick-fil-A and other chains is too high in calories.

Of the 1,474 possible choices at 13 chains examined, 93 percent exceed 430 calories -- an amount that is one-third of what the Institute of Medicine recommends children ages 4 through 8 should consume in a day.

Besides being almost always too high in calories, 45 percent of the kids' meals at the 13 chains studied by CSPI were too high in saturated and trans fats and 86 percent were too high in sodium.

Most of Subway's Fresh Fit for Kids meals, which include a mini-sub, juice box and one of several healthful side items -- apple slices, raisins, or yogurt -- are less than the 430-calorie threshold.

Chili's kid's meal of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk has 1,020 calories, while KFC kid's meal of popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, Teddy Grahams and fruit punch has 940 calories.