Some Sugar With Your Fat?
Few people would pour themselves a half-cup of sugar and eat it for dessert. Nor would you (hopefully) sit down and gobble up five breakfast sandwiches sprinkled with 10 packets of sugar. Yet U.S. restaurants are serving the equivalents of those things every day, no matter how much bad press their woefully unhealthy offerings garner. Each year, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) releases its annual "Xtreme Eating Awards" (dis)honoring the lows to which chain restaurants will stoop to get you to buy their food.
"This year, we found the highest-calorie menu items we've ever seen," says Paige Einstein, a registered dietician with CSPI, despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration is getting closer to finalizing calorie-labeling rules for chain restaurants. Such labeling was required as part of the 2010 healthcare overhaul, and, says Einstein, it's probably the only way people will be able to dodge nutritional landmines like this year's "honorees." Without further ado, here's the CSPI list.
"This year, we found the highest-calorie menu items we've ever seen," says Paige Einstein, a registered dietician with CSPI, despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration is getting closer to finalizing calorie-labeling rules for chain restaurants. Such labeling was required as part of the 2010 healthcare overhaul, and, says Einstein, it's probably the only way people will be able to dodge nutritional landmines like this year's "honorees." Without further ado, here's the CSPI list.
1) Johnny Rockets
Bacon Cheddar Double Cheeseburger, Sweet Potato Fries, and Big Apple Milkshake
The tally: 3,500 calories; 88 grams (g) saturated fat; 3,720 milligrams (mg) sodium; and about 1/3 cup added sugar
Lesson learned: Sit-down restaurants aren't always healthier than drive-throughs, and "sweet potato" fries are still fried potatoes, says Einstein, who notes that, at 1,770 calories, the burger alone would have you eating more calories than if you ate three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Also, don't drink your food: The Big Apple Milkshake includes an entire slice of apple pie blended with ice cream. "People don't register liquid calories the way they do solid food calories," she says. If you want apple pie…don't slurp it through a straw.
The tally: 3,500 calories; 88 grams (g) saturated fat; 3,720 milligrams (mg) sodium; and about 1/3 cup added sugar
Lesson learned: Sit-down restaurants aren't always healthier than drive-throughs, and "sweet potato" fries are still fried potatoes, says Einstein, who notes that, at 1,770 calories, the burger alone would have you eating more calories than if you ate three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Also, don't drink your food: The Big Apple Milkshake includes an entire slice of apple pie blended with ice cream. "People don't register liquid calories the way they do solid food calories," she says. If you want apple pie…don't slurp it through a straw.
2) IHOP
Country Fried Steak & Eggs
The tally: 1,760 calories; 23 g saturated fat; 3,729 mg sodium; and almost ¼ cup sugar. As CSPI puts it, the combo is equal to eating five McDonald's Egg McMuffins sprinkled with 10 packets of sugar.
Lesson learned: Combo meals are gut-busting. "An eight-ounce steak that's been breaded, deep-fried, and covered in gravy in itself would be a meal," Einstein says. Throw on two of IHOP's plate-size pancakes and a side of fried potatoes, and you may as well not eat for the rest of the day.
The tally: 1,760 calories; 23 g saturated fat; 3,729 mg sodium; and almost ¼ cup sugar. As CSPI puts it, the combo is equal to eating five McDonald's Egg McMuffins sprinkled with 10 packets of sugar.
Lesson learned: Combo meals are gut-busting. "An eight-ounce steak that's been breaded, deep-fried, and covered in gravy in itself would be a meal," Einstein says. Throw on two of IHOP's plate-size pancakes and a side of fried potatoes, and you may as well not eat for the rest of the day.
3) The Cheesecake Factory
Bistro Shrimp Pasta
The tally: 3,120 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 1,090 mg sodium
Lesson learned: Restaurant portions are unforgivingly huge. The dish has the most calories of any dish ever featured in CSPI's Xtreme Eating Awards, largely, says Einstein, because it clocks in at 3½ cups of pasta—plus toppings that include a buttery sauce and fried shrimp—when a standard serving is 1 cup. Even dividing the meal in half would still leave you with three-fourths of your daily calorie requirements. Ask your waiter if smaller portion sizes are available before you order.
The tally: 3,120 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 1,090 mg sodium
Lesson learned: Restaurant portions are unforgivingly huge. The dish has the most calories of any dish ever featured in CSPI's Xtreme Eating Awards, largely, says Einstein, because it clocks in at 3½ cups of pasta—plus toppings that include a buttery sauce and fried shrimp—when a standard serving is 1 cup. Even dividing the meal in half would still leave you with three-fourths of your daily calorie requirements. Ask your waiter if smaller portion sizes are available before you order.
4) Smoothie King
40-ounce Peanut Power Plus Grape Smoothie
The tally: 1,460 calories and 22 teaspoons sugar (nearly ½ a cup!)
Lesson learned: Smoothies you buy at the store are nothing like the healthy smoothies you could make for yourself at home. "Most people make healthy smoothies at home, with yogurt and a little fruit," says Einstein. Not so at restaurants. This one, for instance, isn't fortified with healthy grapes but with grape juice, one of the least healthy and sugary juices out there. In fact, when you factor in the naturally occurring sugar in grape juice, the sugar content of this smoothie shoots up to 39 teaspoons, or ¾ cup of sugar—in one drink! Stick with homemade smoothies and not only will you get real fruit, but you're less likely to drink an entire blender-full in one sitting.
The tally: 1,460 calories and 22 teaspoons sugar (nearly ½ a cup!)
Lesson learned: Smoothies you buy at the store are nothing like the healthy smoothies you could make for yourself at home. "Most people make healthy smoothies at home, with yogurt and a little fruit," says Einstein. Not so at restaurants. This one, for instance, isn't fortified with healthy grapes but with grape juice, one of the least healthy and sugary juices out there. In fact, when you factor in the naturally occurring sugar in grape juice, the sugar content of this smoothie shoots up to 39 teaspoons, or ¾ cup of sugar—in one drink! Stick with homemade smoothies and not only will you get real fruit, but you're less likely to drink an entire blender-full in one sitting.
5) Chili's
Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce, Homestyle Fries, and Cinnamon Apples
The tally: 2,330 calories; 45 g saturated fat; and 6,490 mg sodium (keep in mind that 1,500 mg is the recommended daily amount of sodium)
Lesson learned: Order your sauce on the side. The staggering levels of sodium in this particular meal are owed, in part, to the BBQ sauce, which, Einstein says, is a notoriously salty condiment. Another lesson? Learn to substitute. This meal comes with two calorie- and sugar-dense sides, but chains like Chili's often allow you to substitute sides, even if it's not explicitly stated on the menu.
The tally: 2,330 calories; 45 g saturated fat; and 6,490 mg sodium (keep in mind that 1,500 mg is the recommended daily amount of sodium)
Lesson learned: Order your sauce on the side. The staggering levels of sodium in this particular meal are owed, in part, to the BBQ sauce, which, Einstein says, is a notoriously salty condiment. Another lesson? Learn to substitute. This meal comes with two calorie- and sugar-dense sides, but chains like Chili's often allow you to substitute sides, even if it's not explicitly stated on the menu.
6) The Cheesecake Factory
Crispy Chicken Costoletta
The tally: 2,610 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 2,720 mg sodium
Lesson learned: Don't let healthy sides lead you astray. The fact that breaded chicken (enough to serve as three meals in a normal household) are accompanied by mashed potatoes instead of fries and bright green asparagus may lead you to believe that this chicken dish can't be that bad, but it is. The serving of mashed potatoes equals three-quarters of a pound. "And the way they served it to us, there was a pool of sauce on the bottom of the plate, and everything was sitting in it," says Einstein—even that healthy asparagus!
The tally: 2,610 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 2,720 mg sodium
Lesson learned: Don't let healthy sides lead you astray. The fact that breaded chicken (enough to serve as three meals in a normal household) are accompanied by mashed potatoes instead of fries and bright green asparagus may lead you to believe that this chicken dish can't be that bad, but it is. The serving of mashed potatoes equals three-quarters of a pound. "And the way they served it to us, there was a pool of sauce on the bottom of the plate, and everything was sitting in it," says Einstein—even that healthy asparagus!
