( CNN ) -- Back in the day , Bill Clinton was the highest-profile devotee of the highest-calorie items on the McDonald 's menu . What a difference a few years -- and a quadruple-bypass surgery -- can make . The fast food giant and the former Big Mac fan-in-chief announced they were coming together Thursday to help fight the scourge of obesity . Instead of just French fries to go with your value meal , McDonald 's soon will offer you a choice of a side salad , fruit or vegetable as a substitute . Video : Newt Gingrich on his love affair with McDonald 's food . They also pledged to promote only water , milk and juice as the beverage that comes with a Happy Meal and to use Happy Meal packaging to `` generate excitement '' for fruits and vegetables . `` If we want to curb the catastrophic economic and health implications of obesity across the world , we need more companies to follow McDonald 's lead and to step up to the plate and make meaningful changes '' Clinton said in a McDonald 's press release . `` I applaud them for doing it . '' Study : Teens gaining healthy habits , but it 's not enough . But not everyone was popping the Champagne after the announcement -- or even the water , milk , or juice . `` Ronald McDonald 's slow march toward healthier meals made a major advance today , but a long road lies ahead for the company '' said Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest . It 's something even McDonald 's acknowledged . `` And we know there 's more to do '' CEO Don Thompson said in a statement . `` We will continue to use our size and scale around the world to help educate , empower and encourage our customers to make informed choices so they can live a balanced and healthy lifestyle . '' McDonald 's said these new changes will come to 20 major markets around the world and will be fully implemented by 2020 . Eatocracy : Man builds $ 141.33 'McEverything ' dream sandwich .
Bill Clinton was once the most famous aficionado of Big Macs and other high-calorie offerings . He and McDonald 's say they are now joining efforts to help fight obesity . McDonald 's will soon offer a fries substitute : Side salad , fruit or vegetable . Center for Science in the Public Interest offers limited applause for the move .