If you feed your children a Happy Meal, they are consuming over 1/3 of their daily recommended caloric intake and nearly 50% of recommended daily fat, sodium, and carbohydrate intake in just one meal. The saturated fat in a Happy Meal, if consumed more than once a week is enough to cause heart disease. Happy Meals lure kids with the colorful plastic toys, and the greasy, extra salty flavors. Not only are fast food meals high in fat, sodium, and low in vitamins and fresh vegetables or fruits, they are also loaded with preservatives that cannot be good for our bodies. New York Photographer Sally Davies documentation of a Happy Meal resisting decomposition brought media attention to this matter.
Setting a new trend, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance today to require meals with toys to meet specific nutritional criteria. Mayor Gavin Newsome promised to overturn such legislation, but fortunately the 8-3 vote is veto proof. Now let's just hope more cities in California and around the country follow in this example to help combat childhood obesity and promote healthy eating habits in children.
