In Mass on Sunday, I was surprised to learn that most New Year's Resolutions are kicked to the curb by January 31st. I'm happy to report that I am still staying on track with mine. On that same note, I saw this and was startled by some of the calorie and fat contents. Thought it was worth posting and it helps us with our New Year's Resolutions of trying to stay in shape!
8 Scariest Restaurant Meals
8. #8: WORST FISH MEAL: Culver's North Atlantic Cod Filet Meal (3
pieces)
2,156 calories, 140 g fat (21 g saturated, 2 g trans), 2,378 mg
sodium
Frying anything is a bad idea, but frying fish is a debasement of one of
nature's purest foods. Why ruin what could be a protein-packed, muscle-building
meal by sticking it in a vat of bubbling oil? But Culver's doesn't stop with its
battered and oiled cod filets; it ups the risk to your waistline and overall
well-being by adding heaping helpings of the default sides of cole slaw, fries,
tartar sauce, and a dinner roll. We challenge more restaurants to do what's
right with fish: Buy it fresh, cook it with minimal flourishes, and let diners
enjoy the simple beauty of a lean, well-cooked meal. Until Culver's takes up the
challenge, order the roasted chicken sandwich and tomato soup instead—or go to a
different restaurant.
Eat This Instead!
Flame Roasted Chicken Sandwich with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
449 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated), 1,374 mg sodium
7. #7: WORST BURGER: Chili's Jalapeno Smokehouse Bacon Burger with
Ranch
2,210 calories, 144 g fat (46 g saturated), 6,600 mg sodium
The average burger-and-fry combo at Chili's packs 1,786 calories—about 85
percent of your daily allotment if you're an active female and more than
two-thirds an active male's allowance. That's a heavy price to pay for a staple
the average American consumes up to 150 times a year. Of course, this
tricked-out number takes the havoc to a new high. Laced with more bells and
whistles than a Michael Bay blockbuster (tortilla strips, bacon, Cheddar, mayo,
and jalapeno-ranch dressing), this burger punishes partakers with more than 2
days' worth of saturated fat and as much sodium as you'd find in 6 pounds of
McDonald's french fries.
AVOID THESE FAT TRAPS: Research has shown that skinny people maintain lean
bellies by developing healthy routines and avoiding bad habits. Harness the
flab-fighting power of science to get thin by recognizing
The 20 Habits That Make You Fat!
Eat This Instead!
Margarita Grilled Chicken
550 calories, 14 g fat (4 g
saturated) , 1,870 mg sodium
6. #6: WORST PIZZA: Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
(individual)
2,310 calories, 165 g fat (54 g saturated), 4,650 mg sodium ,
Chicagoans beam with pride when claiming rights to the deep dish pizza, as if
the invention of one of the world's most dangerous foods is a source of civic
satisfaction. The problem starts, of course, with the crust, which is bathed in
oil, rich in refined carbohydrates, and about three times thicker than a normal
pizza so it can support the onslaught of toppings it invariably houses. Tack on
oozing layers of mozzarella, Romano, and sausage (the "classic" topping of
choice), and you have an individual pizza with more calories than you'd cosume
if you took down an entire extra-large Domino's Thin Crust chorizo pie. If it's
pizza you seek at Uno's, turn to the admirable new thin five-grain crust to
avoid total catastrophe.
STEALTH HEALTH FOODS: Power up your diet by expanding your menu. Here are
The 7
Healthiest Foods You're Not Eating.
Eat This Instead!
Thin Five-Grain Crust Roasted Eggplant, Spinach & Feta Pizza (1/2
pie)
435 calories, 17 g fat (5 g saturated), 600 mg sodium
5. #5: WORST APPETIZER: Applebee's Appetizer Sampler
2,430 calories, 166 g fat (48 g saturated) , 6,070 mg sodium
Sample platters are the lairs wherein all menu miscreants hang out and nearly
every chain offers a criminal version. Applebee's is the undisputed kingpin. Its
repository of cheap, fried, monochromatic foods is a lesson in the perils of
restaurant eating. It begins with chips and spinach-artichoke dip, a euphemism
for a crock of cream and cheese with a few token shards of vegetable matter.
From there, it gets worse: fried chicken wings, fried mozzarella sticks, and
greasy cheese quesadillas. You could eat the celery on the plate to make
yourself feel better, but by that point, the damage is done.
Eat This Instead!
Chicken Wonton Tacos
590 calories, 24 g fat (4.5 g
saturated) , 2,150 mg sodium
4. #4: WORST BREAKFAST: IHOP Big Country Breakfast with Country Fried Steak
and Country Gravy
2,440 calories, 145 g fat (56 g saturated), 5,520 mg sodium
This smorgasbord is an unabashed siren call to gluttons everywhere. It's a
12-ounce steak breaded, fried, and dripping with gravy; three eggs; hash browns;
and three pancakes crowned with an ice cream scoop of butter and a sugary tide
of syrup. Heck, this meal wears its pride in its name. You could feed a small
nation with the Big Country, though doing so would be grounds for UN
intervention.
Eat This Instead!
Simple & Fit Spinach, Mushroom & Tomato Omelette
330 calories, 12 g fat (5 g saturated) , 690 mg sodium ,
3. #3: WORST RIBS: TGI Friday's Caribbean Rockin' Reggae Ribs
2,450 calories, 52 g saturated fat, 3,810 mg sodium ,
Of all the foods on this list—burgers, fries, pasta, ice cream—none is more
consistently catastrophic than a rack of restaurant ribs. Part of that is due to
the fact that ribs comprise a nutritionally flawed cut of meat, redolent as they
are with both external and intramuscular fat. But restaurant cooking methods,
which invariably involve layer after layer of oily, sugar-dense barbecue sauce,
only compound the problem. Want ribs? You're not going to find a decent rack at
Friday's. Order the sirloin instead.
Eat This Instead!
Petite Sirloin (with Broccoli and Mandarin Oranges)
520
calories, 24.5 g fat (11 g saturated), 1,830 mg sodium
2. #2: WORST CHICKEN ENTREE: The Cheesecake Factory Chicken and
Biscuits
2,580 calories, N/A g fat (68 g saturated), 2,621 mg sodium
Weighted down with more 1,000-plus-calorie meals than any other chain in
America (26 at last count), the Cheesecake Factory offers diners a Russian
roulette of choices. Every time you pick up your fork, you risk absorbing days'
worth of unhealthy nutrients. Take the Chicken and Biscuits, for example. It's a
classic like Grandma used to make—that is, if your grandma used every form of
fat in the pantry and doled it out by the bathtubful. Even worse, the Factory
seems to patronize those seeking to go lighter by putting its lower-calorie
choices on the Weight Management menu. Anyone order a side of condescension?
DIRTY BIRDS: There's plenty more polluted poultry where this dish came
from—check out the
Worst Chicken Dishes in America for the most calorically
outrageous dishes coming from your favorite restaurant chains.
Eat This Instead!
Weight Management Spicy Chicken Salad
440 calories, N/A g fat (1 g saturated), 771 mg sodium
1. #1: WORST FOOD IN AMERICA: The Cheesecake Factory Bistro Shrimp
Pasta
2,730 calories, N/A g fat (78 g saturated fat), 919 mg sodium
We recently named Cheesecake Factory America's Worst Restaurant for the
fourth year running. No establishment better represents the confluence of
factors that have saddled America with an ever-worsening obesity crisis. First,
portion sizes are large enough to feed an NFL offensive line. Second, the use of
cheap sources of flavor—oils, butter, cream, salt, and sugar—knows no limit.
Finally, the percentage of dishes fit for consumption is absurdly small (we
count 8 on a menu of more than 200 dishes). Amidst the carnage, one dish sinks
below all the rest: the Bistro Shrimp Pasta. Tangled up in these noodles are
more calories than you'd consume if you ate three sticks of butter for
dinner.
Eat This Instead!
SkinnyLicious Herb Crusted Salmon
570 calories, 35 g fat (9 g saturated
fat), 687 mg sodium
