Slideshow: The Worst Meals in Restaurants
Buffalo Chicken Salad
The Count: 1030 calories, 68 g fat, 4350 mg sodium
"Salad" is stretching it! Fried meat, oily sauce, and cheese push this meal to 1030 calories at one popular restaurant. That's about the same as a whole pint of chocolate-chip, cookie-dough ice cream. The salad also packs nearly 25% more fat.
Chicken Fajitas
The Count: 1320 calories, 47 g fat, 4650 mg sodium
Chicken fajitas can be a healthy option. But they're often served with heaps of sour cream, shredded cheese, refried beans, and fried rice. Pack it all in, and you've got 1320 calories ready to pad your waistline! Instead, load up on grilled peppers, onions, chicken, and fresh salsa. Stick with just one tortilla.
Vegetarian Fried Rice
The Count: 1090 calories, 19 g fat, 2210 mg sodium
Getting Chinese takeout? Don't assume the veggie options are the healthiest. Vegetarian fried rice can hide 1090 calories. That's over half of your calories for the whole day. Instead, go for steamed dishes with lots of veggies, steamed rice, and always ask for sauce on the side.
Pasta in Carbonara Sauce
The Count: 1440 calories, 88 g fat, 3000 mg sodium
Grilled chicken and shrimp can be good choices. But if they're drenched in carbonara sauce, not so much. A plate of pasta with shrimp and chicken in carbonara can creep up to1440 calories. It also has 88 grams of fat. That's more fat than you'd get from eating a half-dozen glazed doughnuts.
Deep Dish Pizza With Sausage
The Count: 2300 calories, 164 g fat, 4910 mg sodium
Deep dish pizza can be deep trouble. One "individual" sausage pizza is 2300 calories. That's more calories than most people should eat in a whole day. It also packs in double the daily limit of fat. Skip the sausage and opt for thin crust.
Club Sandwich
The Count: 1400 calories, 23 g sat. fat, 2100 mg sodium
Club sandwiches can be deceptive, even with lean turkey or chicken meat. This one hides 1400 calories and a whole day's worth of saturated fat. Where are all those calories hiding? In the bacon, cheese, extra slice of giant bread, and mayo. Opt for a single-decker turkey sandwich, instead. Choose plenty of veggies and a few slices of avocado for great flavor.
Large Fries
The Count: 1474 calories, 71 g fat, 213 mg sodium
In a pinch, you might think that just one order of fries -- and nothing else -- would be OK. Not necessarily. Large fries can have more than 1400 calories. That's like a whole loaf of white bread, with an extra bonus of unhealthy saturated fat. If you're jonesing for fries, just get a small. You'll save 1100 wasted calories.
Sliders
The Count 1800 calories, 111 g fat, 4070 mg sodium
How bad can those little, cute burgers be? If you eat the whole order of them, pretty bad. A plate of sliders can add up to 1800 calories. (That leaves 200 for the rest of your day.) Solution? Don't eat the whole order. Pack up one or two in a doggie bag and have them tomorrow.
Eat Better: Find Hidden Calories
You can skip the most fattening restaurant meals by reading the menu closely. Look for clues. Words like pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy are usually signs of extra fat and calories. "Crisp" items are often deep-fried in oil.
Eat Better: Go á la Carte
Skip the jumbo portions and rich sides that come with restaurant entrees. Instead, choose side orders for your meal. In a Mexican restaurant, try one corn taco of grilled meats, a cup of chicken-tortilla soup, a side salad, and a fruit dessert. You get exactly what you want and a fraction of the calories.
Eat Better: Downsize
When only a hamburger will do, or a drive-through is your only option, think small. Go for the child's meal or a junior burger. Try this switch to get your fast-food fix with fewer calories:
- Skip: Double cheeseburger, large fries, large soda --1240 calories
- Choose: Cheeseburger, kid's fries, small soda -- 550 calories
Eat Better: Hide Temptations
Many restaurants present a picture of abundance, starting with an overflowing basket of bread or chips. To prevent mindlessly inhaling a few hundred calories before your main meal, wave the waiter away when he swoops in with the basket of carbs. Or ask the waiter to remove the basket as soon as you've had a small portion.
Eat Better: Pasta
Pasta swimming in cream sauce can be an unhealthy choice -- it's packed with fat, calories, and cholesterol. Eat a small portion of whole grain pasta and top with better sauces, such as:
- Red clam sauce
- Marinara sauce without meat
- Primavera sauce without cream
- Marsala sauce with wine, not butter
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD on January 29, 2013
IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
1) Heath Patterson / Photographer's Choice
2) iStockphoto
3) John P Kelly / StockFood Creative
4) iStockphoto
5) Shenghung Lin Photos / Flickr Collection
6) Zoonar/Steve Heap
7) Alexis Platoff / Tips Images RM
8) Maximilian Stock Ltd./ Photographer's Choice
9) Lara Hata / FoodPix10) Foodcollection RF
11) Colin Erricson/Stock Food Creative
12) Kai Stiepel/Stock Food Creative
13) iStock, Ryan McVay/Photodisc
14) Tom Grill/Iconica
15) Jupiter Images
16) iStock
17) iStock
REFERENCES:
Applebees: Nutritional Information.
Ben & Jerry's: Our Flavors.
Cheesecake Factory: Nutrition Chart.
Chilis.
Dunkin Donuts: Nutrition Catalog.
Five Guys: Nutritional Info.
Food and Drug Administration: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.
McDonald's.
Olive Garden: Nutrition.
P.F. Changs: Nutritional Information.
Uno's Chicago Grill: Menu.
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:
THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.
© 2011 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD Slideshows
View our slideshows to learn more about your health.
-
Heart Foods 23 foods that can save your heart.
-
Bad Hair? What your hair says about your health.
-
Understanding Depression Sadness, or something more serious?
-
Pet Inspiration 20 things you can learn from your pet.
-
Sleep Disorders All about insomnia and sleep issues.
-
Slideshows A-Z Browse WebMD's slideshow library.
Advertisement
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
©2005-2014 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.