Diabetes Health in the News Podcast: New Regulations Push For Healthier Fast Food Meals for Children
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Recently, a proposal was made to the New York City Council that would potentially make fast food meals for children healthier. If this new policy is approved, any fast food meals that come with toys would need to have less than 500 calories and comply with limits on salt and fat content. Additionally, these meals would need to include a serving of whole grain, vegetables, or fruit.
The study had first examined the nutritional value of these meals without any policy in place. Adults were purchasing an average of 600 calories for each child, with about one-third of the calories coming from fat. The meals also contained over half the daily limit of salt. If meals were required to comply with the proposed standards, children would consume 10% less salt and 9% fewer calories.
These findings were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on August 6, 2015.