(BPT) - The holiday season is here and if you’re like most Americans, restaurants will play a key role in your holiday plans and celebrations, as well as shopping and traveling experiences. 

Each year, tens of millions of Americans visit restaurants for their holiday meals or use restaurants to supplement meals at home. For anyone with a busy schedule, the opportunity to go to a restaurant or bring takeout items home allows for more time with family and friends and does not require the cleanup that typically goes along with cooking a meal. 

National Restaurant Association research shows that more and more, consumers are looking for better-for-you items. While dining out this holiday season, parents looking for those healthful options for themselves and their children will be pleased to find a larger variety of choices on restaurant menus. More than 110 restaurant brands representing 30,000 locations nationwide are now participating in the Kids LiveWell program, an initiative established by the National Restaurant Association in collaboration with Healthy Dining, a group of registered dietitians who have worked with the industry for two decades to help restaurants provide a selection of healthful, dietitian-approved items.