NutritionDoc

"Hey, I'm Max," says the cartoon character on the box of Stouffer's new Maxaroni Mac & Cheese. "I love finding ways to say bye-bye to boredom! I guess you might say I live life to the max!" Kids who eat Maxaroni will max out all right . . . . on nearly half a day's saturated fat (6 to 8 grams) and sodium (roghly 1,000 mg) in each 400 calorie serving of Mac & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese, Fish Sticks with Mac & Cheese, or Cheese Pizza Minis with Mac & Cheese. Parents may be impressed by the "made with white meat chicken" or "made with whole filet" claims on the packages. But that chicken or fish ends up breaded, deep fried, and sharing a microwaveable tub with Stouffer's famous macaroni and cheese. Not exactly the makings of a perfect meal. Maybe it is perfect for kids who have never been exposed to a well prepared dish of broccoli, carrots, peas, or other veggies. Or perfect for parents who think their children's blood pressure and cholesterol will stay low no matter what they eat. Or perfect for adults who have bought into the kids-won't-eat-vegetables line. Or perfect for Stouffer's, the nation's leading seller of frozen macaroni and cheese. But perfect for kids???? Apparently, Stouffer's could NOT care less.

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