Restaurants do offer healthy food menu choices. Whether you’re on the road and need to pull over for a bite in some random restaurant or planning to visit a local joint with your family, restaurants do have healthy foods that kids will love. We have listed the healthiest dishes offered at different top restaurants in America for consumption by kids.
Top 19 Restaurants With Healthy Food Choices For Kids
-
Grilled Chicken or Salmon at the Cheesecake Factory
The Cheesecake Factory offers grilled chicken or grilled salmon as one of its healthiest dishes. It is served with veggies and potatoes. Avoid the pasta topped with Alfredo sauce as it is rich in calories: about 1,810.
-
Sirloin Steak at Applebee’s Grill & Bar
The sirloin steak at Applebee’s is rich in proteins and has only 140 calories, making it a healthy option for kids. It is served with ranch-dressed baby carrots and steamed broccoli. Healthy vegetables for any child.
-
Grilled Chicken Breast at the Texas Roadhouse
The grilled chicken breast (150 kcal) features fresh strips without bones. It’s also rich in the proteins kids need to grow and develop. Although it’s served with various side dishes, green beans are the healthiest with only 70 calories.
-
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce at Olive Garden
If your kid is a picky eater, he or she might like Olive Garden’s spaghetti with tomato sauce. Although the menu offers various types of pasta, spaghetti has the lowest amount of calories at 240. Serving it with steamed broccoli and chicken only adds 160 more calories, making it a healthy meal.
-
The All-Natural Turkey Chili at Panera Bread
With only 210 calories and 730 mg of sodium, this dish is made up of tender beans, dark meat free from antibiotics, and spices and veggies cooked in slow heat. A balanced and nutritious option for kids.
-
Baby Buddha’s Feast at PF Chang’s
Made using carrots, snap peas and broccoli, the dish has 60 calories only, making it one of the healthiest chain restaurants in the U.S. It can also be served with quinoa or steamed rice. Although the sweet and sour chicken is low in calories and sodium (300kcal and 400mg sodium), kids still love it. It is one of the restaurants with the healthiest foods for kids.
-
Turkey’s Sandwich at Cosi
Turkey sandwich is served with fruits or carrots and has only 150 calories. Opt for the cheese flatbread pizza if your kids love pizza. It has 250 calories only.
-
Chicken n’ Dumplings at the Cracker Barrel
The Chicken Dumplings at Cracker Barrel are low in fat and calories, having only 370. Unlike fried chicken fingers or mac n’ cheese, the meal is high in lean proteins for the athletic visitors and kids.
-
All-Natural Chicken Sandwich at TGI Friday’s
Chicken dishes tend to be low in calories, and so is this one: it only has 320 calories. The sandwich is served with a fruit cup of 60 calories, ranch and carrots (with 150 calories), salad and mandarin oranges with 40 and 60 calories, respectively.
-
Salad Chilling with Chicken at the Hard Rock Café
If you’re one of those lucky parents with kids that like to eat salad: this dish contains only 330 calories and sodium of about 500mg. The salad at Hard Rock cafe is served with diced chicken, Cheddar cheeses, mixed greens, Monterey jack and carrot sticks.
-
Turkey Sandwich on Goldfish Bread at Friendly’s
Typical of apple slices, the dish has only 260 calories, 17g of proteins and sodium (670mg). A good alternative for kids which normally need less calories per day.
-
Sirloin Medallions at the Outback Steakhouse
This meat dish has 30g of protein and contains only 212 calories. The asparagus, which are served as a side dish, are only 60 calories. Don’t like asparagus? You can choose from a range of side dishes based on your personal preferences and taste.
-
Broiled Fish at the Red Lobster
The fish is rich in proteins with only 200 calories. Alternatively, opt for the garlic grilled shrimp with low sodium at 600mg. Broccoli and orange waves are served with entrees so you can eat healthy with kids.
-
Grilled Chicken at Chili’s
Chili with just 160 calories per serving, the dish is lean in proteins to facilitate healthy growth. The restaurant also offers different types of vegetables: customers can choose corn on the cob, broccoli, pineapple, celery sticks, broccoli or a regular house salad. Everything is fresh and low in fat.
-
Cheese Pizza at Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday offers cheese pizza with varying calorie content from 470 to 790 calories to help meet the needs of kids with varying energy requirements. The fresh-grilled zucchini has about 40 calories, making it a dish you’d love to try with your young ones.
-
Jason Deli Kids’ Meal
Jason’s Deli menu contains lots of fresh and healthy items: different veggies, whole-grain bread, organic wraps, jelly sandwiches, milk, organic juice, organic carrots and apples and organic peanut butter: everything you need for a healthy start or finish of the day with your kids!
-
Soups at Sweetgreen
Soups, salads, veggies and shredded kales are perfect for healthy and low-calorie eating with your kids. Moreover, you can prepare custom meals at the restaurant for your kids.
-
Organic Pizza at Pizza Fusion
Pizza Fusion makes organic, healthy pizza without preservatives, additives, nitrates, hormones or even trans fats. Gluten-free foods, vegan dishes and free-range meats are also available.
-
Eco-Friendly ‘Foods with Integrity’ at Chipotle Mexican Grill
The healthy chain restaurants of Chipotle Mexican Grill use antibiotic-free and hormone-free dairy and meats, including organic, locally produced farm-produce to prepare healthy dishes. Fresh and clean ingredients with moderate oil and spices are used to prepare meals.
Tacos, quesadillas, burrito bowls, nachos, beans, rice and organic milk are prepared for healthy eating. Moreover, kids can prepare their own, fun dishes for healthy eating.
Conclusion
When choosing healthy food for your kids, it’s important to pick options based on their nutritional needs. Make sure that the dishes they choose when eating out are healthy and balanced and select items that are low in calories. There are several restaurants that have healthy items with lots of vegetables on the menu. What’s even more: the healthy items are cheaper than the high calorie alternatives. So, you’ll save money while eating healthy!