McDonald's Healthy Happy Meals Good for Obese Michigan, but It's About Choice

COMMENTARY | Fast food icon McDonald's is looking to shake its junk food image, at least with kids' meals. The golden arches began offering apples instead of fries; now McDonald's is auto-adding apples in Happy Meals and cutting fries. The apples are served with caramel dip, so there is some debate about their healthiness. Depending on the region, McDonald's will be putting raisins, carrots or pineapple in its Happy Meals, too. Some progress in being made in children's nutrition, but the going is slow.

Juvenile obesity is the nation's leading health concerns for children. National obesity rates have skyrocketed in the past 20 years. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Michigan is in the highest percentile for obesity. In 2010, 30.9 percent of Michiganders were clinically obese (BMI 20 percent above ideal). Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi are also in this risk category.

According to the Trust for America's Health 2010 "Fas in Fat" report, Michigan was doing better in the area of juvenile obesity. According to those statistics, less than 10 percent of children are obese. Michigan places 41st of all the states in childhood obesity. This is positive news. However, juxtaposed against the nearly 31 percent of obese adults in Michigan, it may only be a matter of time for these children. Kids learn from what they live with; the patterns set at home generally carry over into adulthood.

Despite this trend to obesity, Michigan has been integrating healthy choices in school and restaurants only incrementally. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution began a campaign to get rid of chocolate and strawberry flavored milk in schools. One 8 ounce carton of chocolate or strawberry milk contains four teaspoons o of added sugar. Children who choose flavored milk over plain while milk are getting two gallons of added sugar every year.

Michigan schools have been a bit sluggish about implementing programs like this. In many local high schools, pop machines have been replaced but only with Gatorade, vitamin drinks and fruit drinks. In our local high school, soda pop can be purchased, with a soft pretzel.

Restaurants aren't responsible for patron obesity, but it makes good business sense to offer healthy choices and diet-friendly menus. McDonald's offers the McVeggie Burger. Several other restaurants have been improving salad choices and wrap options. Burger King recently added the BK Veggie Burger at our local restaurant. Jimmy Johns makes a meatless sub and Subway offers meatless subs and bean burgers for their sandwiches. Subway also posts calorie and nutrition data clearly on napkins and at the ordering station.

The operative word in "healthy choice" is "choice." You can lead a child (or adult) to healthier food, but you can't make them eat it. When McDonald's made apples available only eleven percent of patrons took advantage of this option. When San Francisco announced kids could only get free toys if they ordered healthy Happy Meals, the ban lit a firestorm of public debate. Restaurants and vendors aren't responsible for obesity because they can't control how people eat.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes about people, places, events and issues in the Great Lakes State.