In a perfect world, parents would cook healthy, wholesome meals every night of the week for their family to enjoy together. But we don't live in a perfect world. Between soccer games and ballet practice and everything in between, fast food is most likely going to play a role at some point. And that's OK, according to Elisa Zied, a registered dietitian and contributor to http://msnbc.com.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty if you sometimes have to grab whatever’s available,” she says, as long as you pay attention to the rest of the day's meals and portion sizes.

In fact, eating out -- occasionally -- can actually help kids. “They have to be able to deal with real food situations,” Sharon Strohm, manager of clinical nutrition and diabetes education at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, told MSNBC. “They should learn to deal with restaurant meals where good choices may not be available. And ultimately nothing is off the table. It’s all about the portions.”

Continue at: http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/09/10614843-healthy-happy-meal-doesnt-have-to-be-an-oxymoron

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