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Burger King Quietly Drops Sugary Soft Drinks From Kids’ Menu

Under pressure to quit contributing to skyrocketing childhood obesity, fast food chains are making subtle changes in their kids’ menus. For example, Wendy’s and McDonald’s have introduced antibiotic-free chicken, and most recently Burger King quietly dropped soda from its kids’ menu, according to Guardians Review.

Since soda remains on their main menu, it’s hard to know how many parents will actually notice the kids’ menu change. I would prefer that kids not be fed fast food at all, if for no other reason than research shows that a steady diet of fast food may stunt your child’s academic performance. In fact, one British study revealed that kids who ate a predominantly processed food diet at age 3 had lower IQ scores at age 8.5.

The real concern is that fast food does not contain necessary nutrients for healthy living. From desserts to cheap burgers to soda, fast food is a recipe for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Many people eat this way not just for convenience, but because it’s perceived as being “cheaper.” But in reality, the cost to your health and ultimately your pocketbook far outweighs the perceived savings at a drive-through restaurant.

With 1 in 6 young people eating fast food twice a day, it’s hard to imagine that the restaurants’ dropping soda from the menu will have any impact at all on your health. If you’re looking for a good snack for yourself or your children for under $1, try raw nuts and seeds, avocados, berries and broccoli or home-grown sunflower sprouts. Fresh, organic fruit and vegetable slices of all kinds are also good.