Whether you are dining out with your children or grandchildren, it is important to know how to make good fast food and restaurant choices. Children love to eat out, but the growing numbers of overweight and obese children mean that adults need to take more responsibility for proper nutrition, and more importantly, help children make good choices.

Nearly one-third of children eat fast food every day, and those children who do eat fast food tend to consume more calories on a daily basis. These increased calories lead to increased pounds and add to the child's risk of becoming overweight. These facts make it all the more important to think about making healthy choices.

Although it might be hard to persuade your youngster to order a salad instead of a cheeseburger, you can steer them towards healthier options. Following are some important things to remember about fast food and healthy restaurant dining for children:

• Drink milk or water – Soda is highly caloric and not nutritious. Kids should have water or milk instead.
• Avoid chicken nuggets – Fried nuggets are sorry imposters of real chicken. Try to steer them towards something that is not fried.
• Skip the fries - Consider taking along a bag of mini carrots, grapes or other fruits and vegetables to have instead. This will add vitamins and fiber to the meal.
• Order the kids meal with some substitutions – Children often love the kid's meal more for the fun box and toys than for the food. Let them order the kid's meal, but ask to make substitutions for the soda and the fries if possible. Many restaurants are making it easier to substitute and most offer water and milk as beverage options.
• Opt for meals with less fat – In sit-down restaurants, help them select chicken and vegetables or spaghetti with tomato sauce rather than a big plate of macaroni and cheese.

Setting some guidelines for children to follow when eating out will teach them how to make healthy choices as adults.