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CNN Live At Daybreak
Interview With Lisa Drayer
Aired February 25, 2004 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, moms and dads, here is the news we promised, an analysis of kids' menus. And, oh, the numbers will alarm you.
Joining us live from New York, Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
And the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who did this meal analysis, says one look at the numbers and it's no surprise that children consume twice as many calories at a restaurant as they do when they eat at home.
Now, two quick findings I want to point out, fries were the only side dish offered at many of these chain restaurants and half of the restaurants offered free refills, but only for soda.
And also of note, CSPI praises Red Lobster. They say they deserve a pat on the tail for overhauling their children's menu, which, Carol, they offer now grilled mahi-mahi and snow crab legs, along with a free appetizer of carrot sticks and cucumbers or applesauce.
COSTELLO: Oh, and I bet kids are clamoring for that side dish.
DRAYER: Yes, just like I did. I know.
COSTELLO: I'd like you to divulge some actual numbers on some of these meals at specific restaurants. Can you do that?
DRAYER: Definitely. We have some of the highlights here, Carol, going from the least to the most harmful fat. The harmful fat includes the saturated plus the trans fat. That's what we've talked about in the past.
So first we have Cracker Barrel. Their grilled chicken tenderloins -- these weren't so bad, 110 calories and one gram of this harmful fat. This was one of the few restaurants that gives you a choice of grilled or fried chicken. They only have Olive Garden's spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and tomato sauce, sorry, 310 calories, and also one gram of his harmful fat. In fact, these first two met CSPI's best buy criteria, meaning that they didn't have more than two grams of the saturated and trans fat.
Then we go to Chili's Little Chicken Crispers. These chicken fingers have 300 -- only three, Carol, have 360 calories and eight grams of this harmful fat, not so terrible. But then when you add fries, as CSPI points out, you're talking 700 calories, that is, 710 calories and 15 grams of harmful fat, which is the equivalent of fat that you would find in two McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
COSTELLO: Wow!
DRAYER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Wow! So do you have any advice, any tips for taking the kids out to eat and what they should order?
DRAYER: Definitely.
Well, you certainly want to go for the healthier options. As we mentioned, those first two are definitely healthier. Point out the healthy options, but do let your children choose what they want to eat. This helps to give them control over their eating. They're less likely, you know, this is less likely to backfire later on.
Also, hold the beverages until the meal arrives. Ask for the waiter or waitress to do this. This way they won't fill up on all these empty calories before the meal. Also, offer a bite of your own meal if you want your child to try a new food but, you know, you don't necessarily want to have them order the whole meal on their own. And be a role model at the table. You know, it's not realistic to think that your child is going to order a grilled chicken sandwich if they see you eating a hamburger and fries.
COSTELLO: You've got that right.
Lisa Drayer, many thanks, live from New York this morning.
DRAYER: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 25, 2004 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, moms and dads, here is the news we promised, an analysis of kids' menus. And, oh, the numbers will alarm you.
Joining us live from New York, Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
And the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who did this meal analysis, says one look at the numbers and it's no surprise that children consume twice as many calories at a restaurant as they do when they eat at home.
Now, two quick findings I want to point out, fries were the only side dish offered at many of these chain restaurants and half of the restaurants offered free refills, but only for soda.
And also of note, CSPI praises Red Lobster. They say they deserve a pat on the tail for overhauling their children's menu, which, Carol, they offer now grilled mahi-mahi and snow crab legs, along with a free appetizer of carrot sticks and cucumbers or applesauce.
COSTELLO: Oh, and I bet kids are clamoring for that side dish.
DRAYER: Yes, just like I did. I know.
COSTELLO: I'd like you to divulge some actual numbers on some of these meals at specific restaurants. Can you do that?
DRAYER: Definitely. We have some of the highlights here, Carol, going from the least to the most harmful fat. The harmful fat includes the saturated plus the trans fat. That's what we've talked about in the past.
So first we have Cracker Barrel. Their grilled chicken tenderloins -- these weren't so bad, 110 calories and one gram of this harmful fat. This was one of the few restaurants that gives you a choice of grilled or fried chicken. They only have Olive Garden's spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti and tomato sauce, sorry, 310 calories, and also one gram of his harmful fat. In fact, these first two met CSPI's best buy criteria, meaning that they didn't have more than two grams of the saturated and trans fat.
Then we go to Chili's Little Chicken Crispers. These chicken fingers have 300 -- only three, Carol, have 360 calories and eight grams of this harmful fat, not so terrible. But then when you add fries, as CSPI points out, you're talking 700 calories, that is, 710 calories and 15 grams of harmful fat, which is the equivalent of fat that you would find in two McDonald's Quarter Pounders.
COSTELLO: Wow!
DRAYER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Wow! So do you have any advice, any tips for taking the kids out to eat and what they should order?
DRAYER: Definitely.
Well, you certainly want to go for the healthier options. As we mentioned, those first two are definitely healthier. Point out the healthy options, but do let your children choose what they want to eat. This helps to give them control over their eating. They're less likely, you know, this is less likely to backfire later on.
Also, hold the beverages until the meal arrives. Ask for the waiter or waitress to do this. This way they won't fill up on all these empty calories before the meal. Also, offer a bite of your own meal if you want your child to try a new food but, you know, you don't necessarily want to have them order the whole meal on their own. And be a role model at the table. You know, it's not realistic to think that your child is going to order a grilled chicken sandwich if they see you eating a hamburger and fries.
COSTELLO: You've got that right.
Lisa Drayer, many thanks, live from New York this morning.
DRAYER: Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
