Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH
Biography

Let's face it -- kids love fast food. Before you have it your way or make a run for the border, find out this week which choices won't break the scales. Our instructor, Rallie McAllister, MD, MPH, shows us how to navigate the drive thru lane in the least harmful way

If you have questions about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only.

Support for this University course is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

MODERATOR:
Welcome to WebMD University: "Kids, Pounds and Playgrounds." Your instructor is Rallie McAllister, MD, who will chat with us about fast food and your child.

Welcome, Dr. McAllister. Fast food is so available and so heavily advertised. Is it possible for an American family to totally avoid it? Should we?

MCALLISTER:
It is possible to avoid fast food, but in this day and age it may not be entirely practical. It is probably a good idea to avoid fast food more than we are, but it's not really necessary to eliminate it entirely from our diets. With a little work, it is possible to find some types of fast food that are better for us than others.

MCALLISTER:
The method of preparation is what dooms most potentially healthy foods to becoming unhealthy.

Take, for example, a potato. A potato is not an unhealthy food, but when you take that potato and submerge it in a boiling vat of oil rich in trans fatty acids, and then douse it with lots of salt, now you have a very unhealthy food. The same is true with the ground beef in hamburgers and the grains in the hamburger buns.

Even after the foods have been made less healthy by cooking methods, there is still more damage to come. Fast-food manufacturers often slather their creations with high-fat condiments and this only makes them worse.

To top it all off, fast-food restaurants serve these meals with high-calorie soft drinks loaded with sugar and caffeine, so the end result is a package that contributes very little to our nutritional status and may, in fact, rob us of our good health.

"French fries are one of the most damaging foods that have ever been introduced into the American diet."

MODERATOR:
Some fast-food restaurants are now advertising "healthier" selections for their kid meals. Are the choices really healthier? And do you think children will make these choices?

MCALLISTER:
Most children, given the choice, will not choose apple sauce over french fries or milk or juice over soda, and moms and dads may have to make that a rule before allowing children to order kids' meals. These selections, applesauce, salads and fruit cups, are definitely better for our children than french fries.

I am willing to say that french fries are one of the most damaging foods that have ever been introduced into the American diet. They are basically sponges for trans fatty acids and some experts have speculated that trans fatty acids are responsible for a major part of heart disease in the U.S. Virtually any food that we feed our children is better for them than french fries.

Milk and juice are superior to sodas, and many studies have shown that American children drink far too many of these sugary, caffeine-loaded beverages. There is some evidence to suggest that soft drink consumption by young children contributes to an increased risk of bone fracture and even osteoporosis, as they grow older.

And, many of our children are addicted to caffeine, which in reality meets all the criteria for an addictive drug; caffeine also contributes to a large number of sleep problems in American children.

The bottom line is, if you can steer your children away from soft drinks and french fries, you are doing them a favor. There is still the fried cheeseburger or fried chicken parts and pieces to deal with, but at least you are making some progress.

The opinions expressed herein are the guests' alone and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician.