Surviving a McDonald's Party

Consider this.....

Your 6 year old's best friend is celebrating a birthday at McDonald's. Of course, your child is excited but you are not thrilled because you make a conscious effort to encourage your child to eat healthy by avoiding fast foods. What is a parent to do to encourage healthy eating in such a situation? Here are a few tips to help minimize your child's intake of foods that offer little to no nutritive value...

1. Try to have your son/daughter eat a healthy snack before going to the party. Examples of such foods include: yogurt with a fruit, bowl of cereal with milk, crackers and cheese, fruit with cheese, ½ peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Doing this will help curb your child's appetite so that he/she will not eat as much when arriving at McDonald's.

2. Before you get to McDonald's, discuss with your child what he or she will order. Encourage options that will be lower in fat and calories while offering some nutritional value. Here are a few examples of healthier choices from the McDonald's menu (Nutrition facts are available from the McDonald's website):

	Menu Item		Calories		Fat (g)
	Meal:
	Hamburger		260		9
	Cheeseburger		310		12
	Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich		420		9
	4 pieces Chicken McNuggets (without sauce)		170		10
	Salads (not including dressings):
	Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken		290		10
	Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken		220		9
	Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken		220		6
	Desserts:
	Fruit and Yogurt Parfait		160		2
	Apple Dippers		35		0
	Apple Dippers with low fat Caramel Dip		100		0.5
	Vanilla Reduced fat Ice Cream Cone		150		3.5
	Kiddie Cone		45		1
	Drinks:
	1 % Milk carton		100		2.5
	Small Apple or Orange Juice		90-140		0
	Child Size Sodas		70-120		0