It’s no surprise that 74% of American adults are overweight. According to the NIH, fast food portions slowly increased in the ‘70s, but the ‘80s saw a sharp upswing as demand ballooned.

And in a viral video, a woman criticizes today's size standards in the U.S. and explains why the kids meal size should be normalized after ordering one from Raising Cane's.

“I think we need to normalize kids meals,” TikTok user and fitness enthusiast Maggie Sterling (@maggiesterlingcoaching) tells her 186,000 followers while sitting in her car, holding her kids meal bag. “My question is: Is it illegal? Can we even normalize them?”

That's because when she ordered a kids' meal from Raising Cane's, she felt guilty. “I wanted to order the kids meal but as I was looking at it, it said, ‘For kids 12 and under.’ Obviously, I know that I can do it but I’m probably not supposed to.”

What comes with a Raising Cane’s kids meal?

“It’s $6.99, which is what I believe I should be paying for my lunch,” the content creator says, as she opens her kids meal in a Styrofoam container. “Then, what it comes with is fries and two chicken tenders."

Next, Sterling reveals another small container with a slice of the chain's famous Texas toast. “I added one of the toast cause, of course, with a little Coke Zero and then obviously the Cane’s sauce,” she continues, holding up a tiny soda cup.

In her opinion, the regular-sized meals are too large for one sitting. “If you don’t let me get a kids meal, what you’re saying is you want me to buy the normal meal and the normal meal is enough for two meals for me,” she says. “I don’t want to be getting double the meal. I want to be getting the kids meal. This is an absolutely reasonable amount of food.”

“So, how do you feel about kids meals? Do you order them? Do you feel guilty when you order them?” the content creator asks. “Why are we being forced into ordering these meals that are way too big?”

“Anytime I used to eat meals that were the standard meal, I was absolutely [expletitive] stuffed,” Sterling says.

The Daily Dot reached out to Sterling for comment. The video has garnered over 37,000 views.

Viewers order kids meals without remorse

“My theory is they’ll never know if you aren’t taking it home to a child or not,” one viewer wrote.

“I primarily get kids meals in drive thrus. I promise they don’t care,” another stated.

“We are the adults paying for the food. We should be able to buy whatever is on the menu especially since kids 12 and under don't drive or pay,” a third remarked.

“Kids meals are a good amount of food. Adult meals are just too much,” a fourth commented.

Why are fast food portions so large?

It boils down to our consumerism. “The majority of fast food traffic is around lunchtime, when people aren’t typically getting dessert,” NPD food and beverage industry analyst Darren Seifer told the New York Times. “But offering larger portion sizes is one way restaurants can promise more value.”

And about the question Sterling had: Will kids meal sizes become more common? Because fast food places are already shrinking portions to combat rising costs. The opposite is happening, actually.

Some places don't mind if an adult orders from the kids' meal, but it's best to check because restaurants are primarily cracking down on this.

@maggiesterlingcoaching

Do you order kids meals? Do you feel guilty?

♬ original sound - Maggie Sterling

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The post ‘Can we even normalize them?’: Woman gets whole meal at Raising Cane’s for $6.99. Here’s everything it comes with appeared first on The Daily Dot.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.