Award winning initiative developed by National Restaurant Association now includes 155 Healthy Dining restaurant partners
The National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program, launched in 2011 with partner Healthy Dining, is marking its four-year anniversary with a growing list of restaurants offering healthful children’s menu choices. The nationwide program has expanded from 19 to 155 participating restaurant brands, representing more than 42,000 locations nationwide. New restaurant brands include Baja Fresh, Hard Rock Café, Red Robin, Schlotzsky’s and Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar.
Healthy Dining’s expert team of registered dietitians works with restaurants to identify and validate menu choices that meet the program’s criteria. Participating restaurants and their qualifying items can be found on HealthyDiningFinder.com, and also via a free Kids LiveWell app. “Healthy Dining is proud to feature the Kids LiveWell menu choices on HealthyDiningFinder.com so that parents can easily find the participating restaurants and qualifying menu choices,” says Anita Jones-Mueller, M.P.H., president and founder of San Diego-based Healthy Dining. “The growing number of Kids LiveWell menu choices makes dining out a happy and healthy time for families.”
Celebrating the anniversary, Kids LiveWell is hosting an online Twitter party today from 1-3 p.m. (EST) featuring games, giveaways and a Q&A with chefs from participating Kids LiveWell restaurants. Participants may join in the fun with the hashtag #4yrsOfKidsLiveWell.
“As we celebrate Kids LiveWell’s fourth birthday, we are tremendously proud of the strides the industry has made to provide healthful kids’ meals to families across the country,” said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “It’s inspiring to see restaurants in every state and of all sizes making the effort to serve nutritious options for the industry’s youngest patrons.”
Restaurants in the Kids LiveWell program must offer and promote a selection of items that meet nutrition criteria based on leading health organizations’ scientific recommendations. For example, the caloric content of a children’s meal consisting of an entrée, side and beverage must contain 600 calories or less; it must also contain two or more servings of any combination of the following: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and/or low-fat dairy; and limits on sodium, fats and sugar.
It is Healthy Dining’s passion to contribute to a healthier America – in a delicious way! Healthy Dining’s signature web and mobile site, HealthyDiningFinder.com, is the only search engine and inspirational source of its kind providing personalized dining out recommendations validated by Healthy Dining’s team of registered dietitians. HealthyDiningFinder.com enables millions of diet- and nutrition- conscious restaurant diners as well as those dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other conditions to easily find Healthy Dining choices served at restaurants coast to coast. HealthyDiningFinder.com also features a Kids LiveWell platform, a program developed in partnership with the National Restaurant Association, to help parents find restaurants offering healthier fare for children.
