Healthy Options With McDonalds 

I love McDonald’s, I always have! As a child it was always such a treat to go there with my mum and dad and I would always ask to go there when it was my birthday. I would always have a Happy Meal of course and loved the surprise of seeing what I would get in the box. My children are no different, if ever we ask them what they would like to eat when we are out and about they will always say McDonald’s – or HerrMcDonalds as Gracie calls it!

I was invited to go down to my local McDonald’s to check out their new Happy Meal options. As a parent I like to know exactly what my girls are eating and just because McDonald’s is fast food does not mean I need to compromise on quality. So it is great to know that they have made some fantastic changes to their Happy Meals, offering more choices and a healthier approach to their cooking.

I took Gracie along for a little bit of mummy daughter time the other day. She has been doing so well at school and has adjusted really well to her new routine. I have felt quite guilty about the fact that I barely see her now – of course that isn’t my fault, just circumstance, but I wanted to show her that I can still make time for her.

McDonald’s have been working on positive reformations, reducing the total amount of salt in a typical Happy Meal by 47% and reducing the saturated fat in their cooking oil by 83%. Combine that with the fact that the beef in their burgers is 100% British or Irish and the chicken in their nuggets is 100% white chicken breast and that makes for a very happy meal indeed.

My girls have always chosen to have a Fruit Shoot in their meals but they can now choose from organic milk or water too- meaning less than a quarter of Happy Meals are sold with a fizzy drink. Something I really like is the fact that they are able to swap out fries for carrot sticks or fruit bags. You can also opt to buy an additional fruit bag if you want – mine always like that as they are big fans of grapes and apples.

After we finished our meal we sat and read the story from the box. That’s another great thing that McDonald’s are doing for children – providing 55 million books in Happy Meals. I love books and my children love books, so I am glad that McDonald’s are helping other children find a love of books too.

It was so nice spending time together, I really miss her when she is at school. I’m so glad it is half term now and we can spend some more time as a family – we’ll probably squeeze in another McDonald’s too!

Here is a video I’ve made, sharing the new options for the Happy Meal and a few clips from our trip together.

McDonald’s have also made a video, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at how everything is made and how the ingredients are just like those you’d use at home.

I will be joining in with a Twitter party on Tuesday 25th October – follow #GoodToKnow to join in and hear more – we’ll be talking about the secret to getting kids eating a balance of treats and good food choices.

Have your kids tried a Happy Meal recently?

I’m working with McDonald’s and BritMums in a paid relationship, to challenge misconceptions about what’s in a Happy Meal and about the changes McDonald’s has made across its menu over the last 15 years. Find out more here http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/food-quality/happy-meal.html.

Salt: based on Chicken McNuggets, Fries and a Fruit Shoot now and in 2003

Saturated fat: changes to McDonald’s restaurant cooking oil between 1992 and 2010

Books: based on annual Happy Meal book promotions since 2012

Happy Meals: Served after 10:30am