Why My Kids Won't Finish a Happy Meal

Until recently, I always wondered why my children couldn't finish their happy meals. We don't buy them very often, but I find myself frustrated when my children don't finish the "small" amount of food we buy for them. I now realize my children are better at stopping when they are "full" without eating too many extra calories than I am.

Benjamin wanted to go to McDonald's for his birthday so I looked up their nutritional information to make sure I could eat something there and still have enough calories leftover for cake when we arrived home. I was shocked and furstrated to realize it was extremely difficult to find something filling under 200 calories. I finally decided on a Fruit 'n' Yogurt Parfait (160 calories) and one of the children's Apples and Caramel Dipping Sauce (100 calories) because I knew at least one of them would not finish that portion of their meal. Remembering my frustration with Happy Meals, I decided to look up the details of the components available for a Happy Meal to see if they were having the same dilemma I was when deciding how much of what to eat. Here is what I found:

• Entree: Cheeseburger - 300, Hamburger - 250, or 4 Chicken Nuggets - 190 (with Creamy Ranch Sauce - +170)
• Side: Apples & Caramel Dipping Sauce - 100 or Small French Fries - 230
• Drink (not including soda because my kiddos don't like it): Apple Juice - 100, Chocolate Milk - 170, or Milk - 100

If I order Nuggets (190) with Ranch (170), a side of apples (100), and milk (100) the total calories for the meal would be 560 calories. Or if I order a Cheeseburger (300), a small fry (230), and apple juice (100) the total calories for the meal would be 630 calories. That caloric count is as much or more than I typically have for a large lunch or dinner. No wonder my children don't want to eat everything in their Happy Meal. I think we will stick to Subway or one thing off the Dollar Menu from now on.