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Ravenous, you sprint into Mc- Donalds, eager to fill your stomach with substance. Bursting up to the counter you announce, "Cheeseburger!" Bored, the cashier replies monotonously, "Want fries with that?"

Rewind.

Ravenous, you sprint into McDonalds, eager to fill your stomach with substance. Bursting up to the counter you announce, "Fruit and walnut salad!" Bored, the cashier replies monotonously, "Want dressing with that?"

Eating the latter would satisfy your conscience, but you might be surprised to hear that the two meals actually have the same disheartening 310 calories. You might be even more shocked to hear that the cheeseburger has fewer calories from fat than the salad, 110 versus 120. Fast-food restaurants nationwide are selling the image of "health foods" everywhere, trying to draw in consumers of all ages.

"I only ordered the fruit and walnut salad because I thought it was healthy," student Michelle Chan said when approached in a McDonald's restaurant. Described on their Web site as "It's just what a girl wants," McDonald's newest health food, the fruit and walnut salad, may not be so healthy after all.

Other fast-food joints are joining in on the health fad. Restaurants such as Burger King and Jack In The Box are also serving "health" foods extremely high in fat; however, their salads tend to be among the healthier choices on the menu. Burger King's Original Whopper sandwich contains a whopping 670 calories, 360 of those from fat, while their Tendercrisp Garden Salad is 410 calories, 190 from fat. In-and-Out Burger, however, seems to be sticking with its traditional menu: burgers, fries, and soda.

Fast-food restaurants seem to believe that by sticking the word "healthy" in front of a food name, it automatically deducts calories from its total. I'm sure you'll keep this in mind the next tim

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