“This is a trend that’s here to stay,” says Von Hengst, chef and founder of the 16-location company based in Rockville, Md. “Even if you have one little diner, one little deli, one little restaurant, you have to give mom and dad options to give their kids healthy food.”
Silver Diner is
among the smaller restaurant companies participating in Kids LiveWell, the
National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) new initiative to promote healthful
children’s options.
Kids LiveWell showcases restaurants that offer children’s menu items that meet nutrition criteria. Participating companies appear on the NRA’s website at www.restaurant.org/kidslivewell, and consumers can search the companies and their offerings at www.healthydiningfinder.com.
The NRA launched the initiative last July with Healthy Dining, a California-based nutrition-analysis company. At the launch, more than 15,000 restaurant locations were represented; since then, several thousand more outlets are in the pipeline to join the initiative.
Kids LiveWell
recognizes the importance of giving parents and children more healthful options
and information so they can make choices that are right for their families.
Silver Diner’s Von
Hengst says the Kids LiveWell initiative appealed to him because he feels a
moral obligation to offer healthful options for children and adults, which is
why his restaurants have been offering nutritious food for 21 years.
To qualify for Kids
LiveWell, restaurants must offer full children’s meals that include an entrée,
side and beverage for no more than 600 calories. Meals must consist of
nutrient-rich food, including two servings of fruit, vegetables, whole grain,
lean protein and/or low-fat dairy. They also must limit sodium, fat and sugar.
Participating restaurants must offer at least one other side dish that follows similar criteria. They also must provide nutrition information about the meal and promote the items so they are easily identifiable.
The nutrition
criteria for Kids LiveWell meals is based on scientific recommendations from
the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines, the Institute of Medicine, government
guidance for school nutrition and other leading health organizations.
Learn more about
Kids LiveWell and how restaurants can get involved at
restaurant.org/kidslivewell.
No comments:
Post a Comment