The health-conscious can stop clowning around

Is that a cherry tomato on Ronald McDonald’s face or his nose?

Welcome to ensalada-palooza, where traditionally fatty fast-food

restaurants are introducing a variety of large, garden-fresh salads

to accommodate a more healthy lifestyle. And what better place to

unleash this rabbit fodder than Newport-Mesa, where the residents

are, for the most part, active and health-conscious.

A random trip to McDonald’s on Harbor Boulevard at noon Thursday

proved the salads a popular menu item. A very informal survey

(conducted by my roaming eye and rudimentary counting) found at least

half the adults on the premises munching on Ronald’s grilled chicken

Caesar, grilled chicken California Cobb or grilled chicken bacon

ranch salad. (You must add the word “grilled” to the title, or else

it does not truly constitute a “healthy” salad.)

Christina and Jackson Anthony, a mother and son from Newport

Beach, were enjoying lunch in the playroom on Thursday. Christina was

eating the grilled chicken bacon ranch salad -- 270 calories --

without the ranch dressing, which adds 290 calories.

“I went with the Cobb dressing (120 calories) instead,” Christina

said. “I felt it was a good compromise on the calorie scale.”

And speaking of scales, Christina said she works out regularly --

about three or four times a week. Her salad came in under 400

calories and still provided protein in the form of chicken and bacon.

Not bad.

Those fries she borrowed from Jackson’s hamburger meal add only

slightly to the count, but still offer a good compromise between fit

and fat. It’s no Big Mac, but it’s worth it.

“Oh no, [I can’t have a Big Mac]. It’s a killer,” Christina said.

“I love it, but it’s a killer.”

The Big Mac is 590 calories, according to McDonald’s nutrition

information, with 34 grams of fat. Christina’s variation of the salad

meal, with a handful of fries included, runs about 500 calories and

14 grams of fat. Same amount of fiber in both, and the salad had less

than half the carbs.

For Christina -- who normally runs the treadmill or the Back Bay

trails -- the salad saved her an extra 20 minutes of running, 500

extra sit-ups or 200 lunges.

A McDonald’s lunchtime diner, who gave his wife’s name as his own

(don’t ask me why, she was there, too) was eating the chicken Caesar

salad. Also a fitness enthusiast, he said he worked out “enough for

the both of them.”

“I deal in obesity litigation and I was just telling my wife that

these salads are going to save McDonald’s from some frivolous

lawsuits.”

Interesting thought, given the Oreo scandal of late.

McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain introducing gourmet

salads. Jack In the Box, Wendy’s and Burger King also have their

variation of the fitter feast. Each restaurant seems to have its own

Caesar (with or with out grilled chicken) a Southwest and an Asian

salad. Generally, they run the gamut from 300 to 800 calories per

salad.

With these meals comes:

The good: There is finally something to eat that won’t clog your

arteries with saturated fat. Parents, whose beloved youngsters are

screaming for a burger, fries and a cheap toy that will break in

three days, can now eat at the same restaurant as their children,

instead of foregoing food altogether or bringing something from home.

The bad: Most of these salads are made largely with iceberg

lettuce, which has very few calories and even fewer nutrients. Other

vegetables are carrots, corn and a touch of mixed greens, which offer

nutrition, but are on the starchy side.

The ugly: If you use the full packet of the offered dressing (from

2 to 2 1/2 ounces) you are adding anywhere from 120 to 300 calories

to your meal. Not to mention the cheese and croutons offered with

many of the salads. You might as well eat that cheeseburger.

Now that you mentioned it, McDonald’s also has a new burger -- the

meatless kind.

Yes, some may argue that the “beef” in their hamburgers wasn’t

meat either, but this one is a McVeggie Burger. Burger King has one,

too.

Costa Mesa reporter Deirdre Newman, who does not eat red meat, and

public safety reporter Deepa Bharath, who is a full-fledged

vegetarian, offered their takes on the meaty-wannabes.

“I’m glad that McDonald’s has finally come out of the dark ages,

not to insult non-vegetarians, but it is about time,” said Deirdre,

adding that her veggie burger was “spicy and tangy,” with just the

right hint of barbecue sauce.

Deepa was not as pleased with the King’s version of the meatless

burger.

“The BK Veggie burger is the worst burger I have ever had,” she

said. “It is drenched in ketchup and has lettuce sticking to it and

nothing else. It is an apology for a burger.”

So, the veggie burger may not be a favorite in the Pilot newsroom,

but the salads are a hit. Alicia Lopez, city editor of the Laguna

Beach Coastline Pilot (our sister paper) said she loves the Burger

King salads.

“I get so excited every time I see one of those commercials,”

Alicia said. “When you are really there just for the kids, or driving

through because they are begging you for a kids meal, it is really

nice.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.