Background: Children consume restaurant-prepared foods at high rates,
suggesting that interventions and policies targeting consumption of these foods have
the potential to improve diet quality and attenuate excess energy intake. One
approach to encouraging healthier dietary intake in restaurants is to offer fruits
and vegetables (FV) as ... read moreside dishes, as opposed to traditional, energy-dense
accompaniments like French fries. The aims of the current study were to examine:
children's views about healthier side dishes at restaurants; current side dish
offerings on children's menus at leading restaurants; and potential energy reductions
when substituting FV side dishes in place of French fries.
Keywords: Restaurants, Children, Food away from home, Fruit, Vegetables,
Side dishes, Defaults, Healthy eating, Childhood obesity.
Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie, Franciel Dawes, Sarah Sliwa, Peter
R. Dolan, Miriam E. Nelson, Kyle Washburn, and Christina D. Economos. "Healthier side
dishes at restaurants: an analysis of children's perspectives, menu content, and
energy impacts." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
11, no. 1 (12, 2014): 1-12.