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A recent news article stated that children in San Marcos, Texas have higher rates of obesity and overweight rates than the rest of the state and the nation.
A new model for healthier kids menus, called Best Food For Families, Infants and Toddlers (Best Food FITS) can help restaurants implement change with healthier kid’s menu alternatives.
Researchers from Texas State University created the model with Nutrition and Professor, Sylvia Crixell. The Students with a grant of $150,000 reached out and discussed the new model of kids menus to various restaurants, encouraging them to implement the Best Food FIT’s Menu to help combat obesity.
Crixell explained that removing sugary beverages from kids’ diets were significant.
Latinos compromise 37.8 percent of the San Marcos population. Studies show that Latino kids are more likely to consume sugary beverages than their peers and -in result- deal with greater risks of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Chain restaurants didn’t change their menus, but 24 percent of local restaurants decided to try the new goals for the menu changes, changing sugary drinks offered in kids meals, to sugar-free options along with offering water and milk options.
Also, on the new menus are more fresh fruits and veggie options, and less fried options.
Paul Sutphen, restaurant owner of Grins in San Marcos, was the first to change his menus.
Sutphen explained that educating him about these issues and showing a plan of healthy alternatives for his business were the key thing that helped him say yes to the healthier menu options
Of the 17 restaurants that tried out the Best Food FITS menus, 12 of them are continuing to use them and work towards helping families see the healthy choice as the easy choice.
By The Numbers
1
Supermarket
for every Latino neighborhood, compared to 3 for every non-Latino neighborhood
