University of Toronto researchers announced results of a recent study which concluded that more than half the kids meals examined at Canada’s biggest fast food chains exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for sugar consumption.
As parents you no doubt monitor the consumption of sugary treats – but the real trick is figuring out which foods that don’t fall into the sweet treats category – but where sugars aree hidden away in more conventional fare like barbecue sauces, sandwich spreads and dipping sauces.
Altogether, the study analyzed over 3,100 kids’ meal combos from 17 Canadian chain restaurants, which found that one out of five meals went over the 10 per cent of calories limit espoused by WHO and but when the stricter recommendations were taken into account –(added sugars should equal less the 5 per cent of daily caloric intake) more than half the meals flunked the test.
Mary Scourboutakos, lead author of the study, which was just published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports, says that many of the meals contained no added sugars at all and that she was impressed by the strides many restaurants have taken to offer healthier choices.
But there were meals that had over 100 grams (equal to 25 teaspoons of sugar). The worst offenders were sugary She urged Canadians to put more pressure on the fast food industry to increase the proportion of healthy options.
She noted how industry has been responsive and insisted, in n interview with the Toronto Star that “Industry will respond if there is demand. Allowing a fruit instead of a brownie, for example. Apple slices instead of fries. Replacing soda with milk. These are all good options.”
And anything that makes it easier for parents to tell the good from the bad will ultimately be effective.
