Kids' Meal Shockers: Look Out!

Pizza's nutritional content is all about the toppings. And one CPK kid-sized pizza topped with cheeseburger and ketchup delivers 600 calories, 13 grams of saturated fat and 1,110 mg of sodium. Add a salad (ranch dressing)and a brownie, and the meal tops out at 1,368 calories, 24 grams of saturated fat, and 1,594 mg of sodium. In just one meal, your kid just got his entire complement - and then some - of calories, fat, and sodium.

Burger King

A kiddie meal at Burger King might feature a double cheeseburger, 1% chocolate milk, and - in a nod to health - fresh apple slices instead of fries. Total nutritional hit: 710 calories, 14.5 grams of saturated fat and 1,170 mg of sodium. Who cares if the government says kids should get no more than 14 grams of saturated fat a day, and no more than 1,200 mg of sodium?

Arby's

Roast beef might be healthier than a burger - but not by much. A Junior Roast Beef Sandwich delivers 300 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and 750 mg of sodium. Pair that with potato cakes and 1% chocolate milk, and you have a tidy package yielding 720 calories, 26.5 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, and 1,400 mg of sodium. That's more sodium than kids should get in a day.

Applebee's

At Applebee's, a pair of Mini Cheeseburgers deliver 730 calories, 47 grams of total fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, and 1,100 mg of sodium. Add fries and a 20-ounce Pepsi, and junior winds up getting 1,230 calories, 62 grams of total fat, 18.5 grams of saturated fat, and 1,840 mg of sodium. That's more saturated fat and more sodium from one meal than kids should get in a whole day - not to mention almost 95 percent of recommended calories.

Olive Garden

The garden is full of nutritional pitfalls. The fettuccine alfredo, for example, delivers 800 calories, 48 grams of total fat, 30 grams of saturated fat, and 810 mg of sodium. Add 2% milk for a grand total of 1,060 calories, 58 grams of total fat, 1,060 mg of sodium, and 36 grams of saturated fat. That's more than twice as much saturated fat as kids should get in a whole day and just about all of the calories and sodium.

Denny's

No dearth of dubious fare at Denny's. How about Slap Shot Slider mini-burgers, Finish Line Fries, and a Kids Oreo Blender Blaster? Total damage: 1,750 calories, 86 grams of total fat, 42 grams of saturated fat, and 1,630 mg of sodium. That's three times as much saturated fat as kids should get in an entire day, along with 135 percent of the calorie limit and 136 percent of sodium limit.

Jack in the Box

What's in the box? It might be a cheeseburger, seasoned curly fries, and 1% chocolate milk - delivering a total of 788 calories, 32 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, and 1,588 mg of sodium. The government says kids should get less sodium than that in a whole day. That's one meal that should probably be left in the box.

Outback

Even without a drink, an order of Outback's "Junior Ribs" and a baked potato (with butter and sour cream) delivers an adult-sized 1,172 calories, 71 grams of total fat, 28 grams of saturated fat, and 3,192 mg of sodium. That's twice as much saturated fat as kids should get all day, and 2.7 times the sodium. Outback? Or out of touch?

McDonald's

Feeling happy? You might not be when Ronald dishes up a Happy Meal. The cheeseburger, small fries, and 1% chocolate milk in one version of the meal deliver 700 calories, 27 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, and 1,060 mg of sodium. That's more than half the 1,300 calories the government says kids should get in an entire day - not to mention almost 90 percent of the sodium.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell may have kids thinking "beyond the bun," but that doesn't equal healthy. One bean burrito, "cinnamon twists" and fruit punch deliver 760 calories, 17 grams of total fat, and 3.5 grams of saturated fat - along with a artery-popping 1,520 mg of sodium. Is the Taco Bell ringing - or tolling?

Red Lobster

Seafood - what could be healthier? At Red Lobster, a kid's meal of popcorn shrimp, a cheddar biscuit, and a Banana Bay chocolate smoothie delivers 750 calories, 29 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, and 890 mg of sodium. The government says kids' daily limits should be 1,300 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, and 1,200 mg sodium.

Wendy's

Wendy's includes orange slices in its kids' meal - but that gesture to good health can't undo the nutritional hit a kid gets from a Crispy Chicken sandwich, small fries, low-fat chocolate milk - and a Jr. Original Chocolate Frosty. All told, the meal delivers 1,260 calories, 42 grams of total fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 1,990 mg of sodium. That exceeds the government's recommended daily intake of sodium and bumps up against daily calorie limit. Ouch!

Sizzler

You know beef isn't the healthiest fare, so how about Sizzler's grilled cheese and fries? That simple meal contains 687 calories, 39 grams of total fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, and 1,911 mg of sodium. That's more fat and more sodium than your kid should get in a whole day--and more than half the calories.