Fast food giant McDonalds is going with the current trend to live healthier and eat healthier. The chain, who recently partnered with the nutrition-focused branch of the Clinton Foundation, announced plans to offer side salads as an alternative to French fries in their value meals. The healthier alternative plan is expected to roll out in 2014, and the best news it, the salad switch won’t come at an additional cost to customers too!

Besides the salads, McDonalds also pledged to offer healthier beverages for the happy meals that they carried. Instead of soda, kids will have a choice to have water, milk or juice. The Happy Meal packaging is also getting an upgrade and will soon offer nutritional messages. Soft drinks aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and will still be available for order. However, they won’t be the drink that will be promoted.

McDonalds plans to slowly implement these changes in at least 20 of their largest world markets, and want the scheme to by fully implemented in all branches by 2020.

 Alliance for a Healthier Generation gets most of the credit for this change, as they were the ones responsible for brokering a deal between the fast food giant and the Clinton Foundation.

McDonalds CEO, Don Thompson, was quoted as saying that the move should “increase the access of fruits and vegetables to kids not just in the U.S. but around the world."

With McDonalds taking healthier strides, you can bet that other fast food chains will, or already have followed suit. Taco Bell has also vowed to cut the amount of sodium, and calories in their offerings by 2020. Burger King has recently introduced a lower-calorie burger, along with lower-calorie fries.

Many nutritionists have expressed excitement at the salad and drink switch. Finally, consumers can take what was once an extremely unhealthy meal composed of soda, fries and a burger and substitute that into something that is more acceptable, like a burger, a side salad and water.