Eating Out Makes Kids Eat More

In a study, kids and teens ate more calories (including more fat and sugar) on days when they had a meal from a fast-food or sit-down restaurant. On two different occasions, more than 9,000 teens were asked to recall everything they’d had to eat or drink in the past 24 hours. Parents were asked the same question for their younger children. Between 24% and 42% of kids and teens had gotten take-out or eaten at a fast-food restaurant during each day they were questioned, and 7% to 18% had eaten at a full-service restaurant. Based on the researchers’ calculations, adolescents ate and drank an extra 310 calories on days they had fast food and an extra 267 on days they ate at a full-service restaurant. Younger kids age two to 11 had an extra 126 and 160 calories on those days, on average. Kids from poorer families got the most extra calories on days when they went to a fast-food or sit-down restaurant. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Nov 5, 2012.