Serve Kids Better New Orleans is a New Orleans initiative to promote the health of kids by ensuring healthier drink choices, such as water and plain milk, are the first choice offered with kids’ meals at New Orleans restaurants.

With busy schedules and more affordable food options, families now eat out an average of four times per week! Going out to eat, which used to be a rare treat, has become a daily necessity. Many restaurant kids’ meals include a sugary drink making it even harder for parents to make healthy choices for their kids.

The American Heart Association recommends:

• children under the age of two have no added sugars in their diets (food or drinks)
• children and teens have less than six teaspoons of added sugar a day and no more than eight ounces of sugary drinks per week.

At restaurants, the added sugar in sugary drinks typically offered with a child’s meal exceed the recommended amount of sugar a child should have in an entire day. 

Healthy options are more important than ever as families make restaurants a regular part of their kids’ diet. When restaurants offer healthy drinks, like unflavored milk and water, parents are more likely to choose healthier options for their kids. So, what can we, as parents and community members, do to protect our children and change our community?

We can start by speaking with our local restaurant owners about providing healthy options for our children. We should also ask our decision makers to pass policies that ensure restaurants serve kids better.

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