IRVINE, CALIF. — Quick-service restaurants have not traditionally been synonymous with healthy eating habits, but Taco Bell is attempting to change that negative stigma.

Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc., which attributes about 70% of its business to drive-thru sales, is offering a new Drive-Thru Diet Menu. The new menu features seven Fresco-style items with nine grams or less of fat.

Most Americans are on the go and will eat foods purchased through a drive-thru on an average of 10 times a month, said registered dietitian Ruth Carey and nutritionist for the N.B.A.’s Portland Trail Blazers. "Whether ordering in the drive-thru, or in the restaurants, Taco Bell’s Drive-Thru Diet Menu makes eating better convenient with not just one, but seven tasty choices with nine grams of fat or less," she added,

The new menu will be promoted through an integrated campaign that will roll out during the first quarter of 2010. The campaign includes advertising, in-store promotions, web sites and social media activity, as well as public relations and integration with Taco Bell’s existing N.B.A. marketing partnership.