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Fast food has been under the scrutiny of consumer nutrition experts for quite some time now, especially when fast food is associated with the national issue of childhood obesity. But healthy fast food is the new fare in a world of consumer protectionism. This is a good thing.

The days of huge portions and high-calorie meals may soon come to an end. Lighter meals and healthier sides are more popular and taking their place.

Todd Coerver, Whataburger’s vice president of marketing and innovation, in Corpus Christi, told Advocate business reporter Allison Miles on Sunday that a majority of menu items at his fast-food chain will be trans fat-free in about a year. Trans fat is a fat that contributes to obesity and coronary heart disease brought on by raising levels of bad cholesterol and lowering levels of good cholesterol.

Other fast-food chains, too, are offering alternative items on menus that are healthy choices, including Subway, Wendy’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A and Jack in the Box.

McDonald’s Victoria restaurant owner Darline Poynter also noted that her five establishments would offer a lighter snack, one that is not in the category of over-sized portions.

According to the Web site http://www.pediachoice.com/obesity, childhood obesity “is rapidly becoming the No. 1 health problem affecting our children today. An estimated 15 percent of American children ages 6 through 19 are overweight and an additional 15 percent are considered obese.” Changing fast food to healthy fare will end this deadly trend.

If you want to examine the food you eat, a good Web site covering 461 restaurant chains is at http://www.dietfacts.com/fastfood.asp.

We encourage our fast-food restaurants to go healthy. The investment in our children’s health will come back many-fold.