A couple weeks ago I was invited to attend a blogger dinner hosted by the National Restaurant Association. We enjoyed delicious food at Fulton’s On The River while we learned more about the Kids LiveWell program. I had never heard of it before so I was excited to find out more since any program that benefits children is of interest to me.
According to the website, “The National Restaurant Association launched the Kids LiveWell program in collaboration with Healthy Dining to help parents and children select healthful menu options when dining out. Restaurants that participate in the voluntary program commit to offering healthful meal items for children, with a particular focus on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and limiting unhealthy fats, sugars and sodium.”
As a parent I really liked this program. It is so hard to find healthy options when dining out and more so than just healthy, they have to taste good or my kids won’t eat them. Over 25,000 restaurant locations across the United States have stepped up and taken the challenge to provide healthy options for kids so that parents can feel good about their choice to eat out. To enroll in the program, restaurants need to follow a number of steps including having side or entree options that meet the specific nutritional guidelines outlined below.
Some of our favorite restaurants are participating including Applebee’s, Chic-fil-A, Chilis, Cracker Barrell, and IHOP. You can view all of the restaurants that are part of the program here. Don’t see your favorite restaurant on the list? Talk to the owner and let them know about this program and how they can participate.
To find out more about the Kids LiveWell program you can visit the National Restaurant Association’s website here. There is also a Kids LiveWell application for iPhone and Android phones that makes finding a participating restaurant easy to do when you are on the go. You can also view a listing of their healthy options before you arrive at the restaurant.
(Disclosure: I was compensated for my time but all thoughts are my own.)