Nearly every possible combination of the children's meals at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Sonic, Jack in the Box and Chick-fil-A are too high in calories, according to the analysis by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Although some chains say they are making changes, Monday's report found 93 percent of 1,474 possible choices at 13 the nation's eateries exceed 430 calories - an amount that is one-third of what the National Institute of Medicine recommends children ages 4 through 8 should consume in a day.

At The Gateway in Salt Lake City Monday, lines were long at McDonald's, while few parents stood in the queue at Subway, which came out on top for healthy meals in the report.

Only a third of Subway's Fresh Fit for Kids meals exceeded the 430-calorie threshold. The meals include a mini-sub, juice box and one of several healthful side items, such as apple slices, raisins or yogurt. And, Subway is the only chain that doesn't offer soft drinks with children's meals.

"That's why we make it a point to get our kids' meals at Subway," said Christy Christensen of Bountiful. "It's rare that I let the kids talk me into anything else."

Heather Peterson of Holladay said she'll drop by a McDonald's but limits the number of trips because of the high calories and the high cost of away-from-home meals.

"A meal or two isn't going to make my children overweight," she said. "And I make sure they eat the children's portions, not the adult meals that have even more calories."

Although there are some healthy choices on restaurant menus, as the nation fights childhood obesity, ''parents have to navigate a minefield of calories, fat and salt to find them,'' said the report by the Washington-based policy center.

For example, Chili's Bar and Grill has 700 possible kids' meal combinations, but 658 - or 94 percent - are too high in calories. One Chili's meal made up of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk contained 1,020 calories.

Burger King has a Big Kids meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk at 910 calories, while Sonic has a Wacky Pack with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries and a slushie.

"America's chain restaurants are setting parents up to fail," said the center's nutrition policy director, Margo Wootan. "McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and other chains are conditioning kids to expect burgers, fried chicken, pizza, French fries, macaroni and cheese, and soda at almost every lunch and dinner."

The report also found that 45 percent of kids' meals exceed recommendations for saturated and trans fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and that 86 percent are high in sodium.

McDonald's said in a statement that advertising aimed at children that previously did not include a healthy food focus soon will feature well-balanced choices, including a 375-calorie, four-piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal with apple slices and 1 percent milk.

KFC said the report's calculations include baked Cheetos and a biscuit, sides that no longer are offered. Sonic said the chain plans to introduce string cheese at 90 calories in September. And Jack in the Box spokeswoman Kathleen Anthony said parents have several healthy items they can select, such as applesauce and reduced-fat milk.

The study said that calorie counts on menus would help parents assemble healthier meals.

For instance, if Arby's kids' meals had such as counts, parents could see that substituting a fruit cup and a juice box for fries and a soda would cut a popcorn chicken meal from 720 calories to 420. And at Denny's, parents would see a surprising difference between the 770 calories in Big Dipper French Toastix and the 370 in the Smiley-Alien hotcakes.

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* THE ASSOCIATED PRESS contributed to this report

Youth portions often offer too much

Most chains offer kids meals that are too high in calories. Here's the percentage of meals with more than the recommended 430 calories:

* KFC Kids' Laptop Meal, 100 percent

* Sonic Wacky Pack, 100 percent

* Jack in the Box Kids' Meal, 100 percent

* Chick-fil-A Kids' Meal, 100 percent

* Taco Bell Kids' Meal, 100 percent

* Chili's Pepper Pal, 94 percent

* McDonald's Happy Meal and Mighty Kids, 93 percent

* Wendy's Kids' Meal, 93 percent

* Burger King Kids and Big Kids meals, 92 percent

* Dairy Queen Deeqs Kids Meal, 89 percent

* Arby's Kids' Meal, 69 percent

* Denny's The D-Zone, 60 percent

* Subway Fresh Fit for Kids, 33 percent

* Restaurants not reporting information were Applebee's, T.G.I. Friday's, Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Red Lobster and IHOP.

Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest