Eat Healthy BR wants healthy options on kids’ menus

An effort within Mayor Kip Holden’s Healthy BR initiative is gaining steam to address childhood obesity as more and more families dine out.

The Eat Healthy BR program is seeking partnerships with city restaurants in an effort to bring healthier options to Baton Rouge residents who dine out with their children.

So far, 13 restaurants—including MJ’s Café, Nino’s, The Little Village, Mestizo and many more—are working with Eat Healthy BR to provide milk and water as drink options and a fruit and vegetable side option for all kids’ meals.

Nutritionist and Baton Rouge Dietetic Association representative Melissa Martin (pictured here) says having access to fruits, vegetables and healthier options is key to a positive, city-wide change.

“So many families don’t cook at home anymore,” she says. “By not having access to fruits or vegetables, that child may not get a balanced diet. We want to give children that opportunity and access to achieve that balanced diet when families dine out.”

Currently, Eat Healthy BR is making sure the restaurants’ transition to providing healthier options for children is an easy one. With March also being National Nutrition Month, Eat Healthy BR is recruiting as many local restaurants as possible.

Martin says most restaurant owners have found the implementation process to be fairly easy. “It’s all about making sure the restaurants see it as a valuable marketing tool for them,” she says. “I don’t think there’s a good reason for restaurants to say ‘No’ to this. These options encourage families to go there. We want this to be a thing families look for.”

Those participating restaurants get benefits, including a window display, nutritional consultation to identify healthy options, and more.

With enough support and traction, Eat Healthy BR could be asking local restaurants for healthier options for adults, as well.

“We want to you to be able to go to a restaurant and know that a group of local dietitians have gone there to make these healthy options available for adults,” Martin says. “We’re hoping to identify one, two or three things on the menu that currently exist that are healthy or modify current popular options and create a healthy version of that entrée.”

For more information on Eat Healthy BR, click here.