Taking the Kids Out to Eat While Traveling

My wife recently read me an article from her April 2011 Parents magazine called “Take the Kids Out to Eat!” As anyone who knows us or is a frequent reader of our blog, we consider ourselves foodies and really enjoy a great meal. While I am not the epitome of fitness and health, as we raise our young boys, it is very important to both of us that we instill in our children the importance of eating healthy. This is no where more important than when you are traveling.

Often when traveling it can be easy to grab a quick burger and fries either from a fast food chain or even a sit down restaurant. However, typically after the first couple of days on a vacation I feel exhausted from eating out all the time. By the middle of our trip I find myself ordering way healthier options because even our bodies tell us enough of the quick, not healthy food.

So I find the Parents magazine article interesting. The following is a quick summary of their top 10 healthy eating chain restaurants.

1) Jason’s Deli
2) Cosi
3) Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes
4) Red Lobster
5) Chipotle
6) Noodles & Company
7) Red Robin
8) Mimi’s Cafe
9) Panera Bread
10) P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

Keep in mind obviously not everything on the menu might be the most healthy option. What the article was implying was that these restaurants have the best options available to feed your children when eating out.

As my wife read me the list, I was in general agreement. Red Lobster I have always read is actually a fairly healthy eatery. Red Robin surprised me only because I would not picture a burger joint as a healthy option, yet alone the unlimited fries. Then she got to number ten on the list.

I have never eaten at P.F. Chang’s before, although I hear great things about it. My first reaction though is that it would be my very last choice for eating because of what I read in my Men’s Health magazine. It seems almost every month Men’s Health features a discussion in the Eat This, Not That series that P.F. Chang’s is practically the most unhealthy restaurant to eat. Usually it seems because the salt contents are so high.

For us in general, we stay away from chain style restaurants as much as possible. We would rather frequent more of the mom and pops type establishments as well as the local good eats. Even when eating at non-chain restaurants though, we need to make sure we make healthy choices for both us and our children.

I cringe every time I go to a restaurant and they tell me the kids meal is fried chicken fingers, pizza, buttered noodles, or a hot dog or hamburger. It is amazing to me that a chef can cook all these fabulous meals yet not come up with something creative and health for a child. Maybe I happen to be in a special situation though because of my oldest son’s eating habits.

My son has always been an amazing eater and will pretty much eat anything put in front of him. Yet he is a healthy size and weight and does not over eat. Therefore, when we dine out, I do not want to plop down a plate of fried whatever just because it is on the kids menu. It seems like numerous times our son has eaten more from our plates than even his own. We do not have a picky eater and thus do not have to resort to unhealthy typical kid meals.

My main point of this post is when eating out, do not accept ordering from a conventional kids menu if you have your child’s health in mind. Ask the server if the chef can make a creative entree using “fill-in-the-blank” ingredients. Or do not be afraid to order a smaller portion of a healthier alternative on the menu. A lot of times I have specifically not ordered a kids meal for our son only because I know between both my wife and my portions, we will have plenty of food to share.