The Unhealthiest Restaurant Entrées of the Year

By Ghuman

Introduction

The restaurant industry is a major contributor to the American diet, and unfortunately, many of the entrées served in restaurants are unhealthy. From high-calorie, high-fat dishes to sodium-laden meals, it can be difficult to make healthy choices when dining out. To help you make informed decisions, we’ve compiled a list of the unhealthiest restaurant entrées of the year. From fast food to sit-down restaurants, these dishes are sure to leave you feeling guilty after your meal. Read on to learn more about the worst offenders and how to make healthier choices when dining out.

The Unhealthiest Restaurant Entrées of the Year

It’s no secret that restaurant food can be unhealthy. But some dishes are worse than others. Here are the unhealthiest restaurant entrées of the year.

1. Cheeseburger Pizza

This dish is a combination of two unhealthy favorites: pizza and cheeseburgers. It’s made with a pizza crust topped with ground beef, cheese, and all the usual burger toppings. It’s high in calories, fat, and sodium.

2. Fried Chicken and Waffles

This dish is a combination of two unhealthy favorites: fried chicken and waffles. It’s made with fried chicken, waffles, and a variety of unhealthy toppings. It’s high in calories, fat, and sodium.

3. Mac and Cheese Burger

This dish is a combination of two unhealthy favorites: burgers and mac and cheese. It’s made with a beef patty topped with mac and cheese and all the usual burger toppings. It’s high in calories, fat, and sodium.

4. Chili Cheese Fries

This dish is a combination of two unhealthy favorites: chili and fries. It’s made with french fries topped with chili and cheese. It’s high in calories, fat, and sodium.

5. Buffalo Chicken Pizza

This dish is a combination of two unhealthy favorites: pizza and buffalo chicken. It’s made with a pizza crust topped with buffalo chicken, cheese, and all the usual pizza toppings. It’s high in calories, fat, and sodium.

Conclusion

These are the unhealthiest restaurant entrées of the year. If you’re looking for a healthier option, try ordering a salad or a grilled dish instead.

For a lot of, 2020 was a 12 months when eating out actually turned a really uncommon event—as soon as your metropolis reopened and also you felt it was protected to enterprise out. So with nights heading out to dinner being few and much between, you doubtless need to be sure to find yourself selecting a memorable entrée. One factor you do not need to do is take pleasure in a extremely caloric, fatty, sodium-drenched meal that’s going to straight-up sabotage any of your weight reduction objectives. And which means some dishes are higher left on the menu.

So with a view to aid you make one of the best decisions you’ll be able to transferring ahead, we rounded up the unhealthiest restaurant entrées of the 12 months. Whether or not the meals made their debut in 2020, or they’re longtime staples that basically needs to be averted, we discovered the worst of the worst. This fashion, which problematic menu choices are actually dangerous information in your well being. And whilst you’re making higher habits for your self, remember to check out any of the 21 Finest Wholesome Cooking Hacks of All Time.

olive garden tortelloni alfredo
Courtesy of Olive Backyard

1,980 energy, 131 g fats (76 g saturated fats, 2.5 g trans fats), 3,720 mg sodium, 95 g carbs (5 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 112 g protein

Olive Backyard introduced again this creamy pasta dish in 2020, nevertheless it is perhaps higher as a distant reminiscence. This entrée far exceeds the beneficial quantities for energy, fats, sodium, and even protein an individual ought to have in a single sitting. Sure, having an excessive amount of of something (even protein) may be a problem. Actually, extra protein may even heighten your danger of creating kidney stones. Massive yikes.

pretzel bacon triple cheeseburger
Courtesy of Wendy’s

Per burger: 1,520 energy, 106 g fats (45 g saturated fats, 4 g trans fats), 1,910 mg sodium, 53 g carbs (3 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 89 g protein

Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple Cheeseburger actually made fairly the impression this 12 months, that is for positive! The burger is made up of three of Wendy’s sq. beef patties which might be coated in heat beer cheese sauce, Applewood smoked bacon, smoky honey mustard, crispy fried onions, pickles, and a slice of muenster cheese, all on a delicate pretzel bun. It is no surprise it has essentially the most quantity of energy out of all of the burgers on the Wendy’s menu! Plus, the 4 grams of trans fats it is packing are a no-go, because the 2015-2020 American Dietary Tips say it is best to restrict trans fat consumption to as little as doable.

“I at all times get nervous after I see ‘triple’ and ‘burger’ in the identical sentence,” says Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RDN. “Beef is nice for you, however no person wants a burger with three-quarters of the day’s energy and almost all of the sodium. Order a single burger as a substitute.”

quiznos cuban sandwich
Quiznos/ Fb

Per 12″ sub: 1,180 energy, 39 g fats (18 g saturated fats, 1 g trans fats), 4,730 mg sodium, 118 g carbs (6 g fiber, 11 g sugar), 94 g protein

Whereas this was a limited-time menu merchandise in 2020, Quiznos actually outdid themselves with this tackle the basic Cuban sandwich. It featured a half-pound of oven-roasted turkey and ham, melted Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard, all on toasted and pressed on Cuban-style white bread.

tgi fridays loaded cheesefry burger
Courtesy of TGI Fridays

Per burger: 1,450 energy, 93 g fats (37 g saturated fats, 0 g trans fats), 3,660 mg sodium, 99 g carbs (10 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 55 g protein

TGI Fridays took issues to the intense with the Loaded Cheese Fry Burger. It is a hamburger that’s topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pink onions, loaded bacon-cheese fries, and poblano queso. And allow us to not overlook that you will discover a skewered loaded potato pores and skin on high of the bun. No surprise it has greater than a day and half’s price of sodium!

friendlys buffalo mac cheese
Courtesy of Pleasant’s

1,337 energy, 74 g fats (31 g saturated fats, 0 g trans fats), 4,520 mg sodium, 106 g carbs (4 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 67 g protein

In the event you eat this mac and cheese dish from Pleasant’s, you are consuming as a lot sodium as you’d get from 46 full-size Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzel Rods. In case you had been questioning, sure, that’s greater than the variety of pretzels that even are available one bag…

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chilis smokehouse combo meal
Courtesy of Chili’s

2,470 energy, 173 g fats (52 g saturated fats, 1 g trans fats), 6,590 mg sodium, 122 g carbs (7 g fiber, 55 g sugar), 106 g protein

Relating to Chili’s Smokehouse Combos, these meals may be totally different for everybody, as you get to customise it your self. You get to select from three forms of meat, which you eat alongside ribs and sides. You may select three dishes from their checklist, so we selected the brand new brisket quesadillas, honey chipotle crispers with ranch, and the ribs (dry rub). As you’ll be able to think about, this makes for an entrée that’s excessive in energy, sodium, fats, and sugar.

And people sides we talked about? You get 4 of them right here—roasted avenue corn, homestyle fries, chile-garlic toast, and garlic dill pickles. That base alone totals 955 energy and 1,590 milligrams of sodium. So in actuality, if you’re this all, you’d be consuming 3,425 energy.

In the event you actually need to indulge, you may need to preserve one factor in thoughts.

“Go forward and revel in this—with 4 of your pals!” says Ward.

uno deep dish buffalo chicken mac and cheese
Uno Nyc/Fb

Per meal: 2,200 energy, 133 g fats (58 g saturated fats, 1 g trans fats), 4,310 mg sodium, 160 g carbs (6 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 96 g protein

Smothering Buffalo rooster throughout some mac and cheese may make your mouth water, however this dish from UNO is actually extreme. It has extra energy than most individuals ought to eat in a complete day!

pasta napoletana at the cheesecake factory
The Cheesecake Manufacturing unit/Fb.com

2,480 energy, 177 g fats (82 g saturated fats, 4.5 g trans fats), 5,150 mg sodium, 155 g carbs (11 g fiber, 20 g sugar), 65 g protein

It is protected to say Cheesecake Manufacturing unit’s Pasta Napoletana is simply harmful.

Between the 4 totally different sorts of meats (Italian sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, and bacon, for reference), the wealthy tomato sauce, and the parmesan cream pasta, this dish is overflowing relating to the quantity of fats, saturated fats, trans fats, carbs, and, sodium. Greater than two and half days’ price of sodium, to be actual! It is stated to be the worst dish to order from The Cheesecake Manufacturing unit in your well being—purpose sufficient to by no means order it.

applebees sirloin steak fajitas
Applebee’s Grill + Bar/Fb

1,620 energy, 88 g fats (35 g saturated fats, 2 g trans fats), 5,130 mg sodium, 130 g carbs (13 g fiber, 17 g sugar), 80 g protein

A scorching plate of fajita greens and steak may sound like a wholesome entrée possibility, however not so quick. At Applebee’s, you are served steak that’s sitting atop rice, bitter cream, guacamole, queso dip, shredded cheese, and bacon. There is just too a lot occurring right here, and the result’s a meal with greater than 5,000 milligrams of sodium. Whereas there are components of this dish that are not so dangerous, the problem right here is the scale of the dish.

“This entrée is not the worst I’ve seen, nevertheless it’s simply an excessive amount of meals for one particular person,” Ward explains. “Ask for a doggy bag up entrance and take residence half the meal.”

Honey chipotle crispers and waffles
Courtesy of Chili’s

2,590 energy, 126 g fats (42 g saturated fats, 1 g trans fats), 5,180 mg sodium, 303 g carbs (14 g fiber, 128 g sugar), 64 g protein

This entrée from Chili’s does what not many meals can do—manages to be excessive in each sodium and sugar. In case your predominant meal has greater than a day’s price of sodium and almost as a lot sugar as you’d get from 11 Unique Glazed Krispy Kreme Donuts, you need to rethink this feature.

panera broccoli cheddar mac and cheese
Courtesy of Panera

Per bread bowl: 1,050 energy, 31 g fats (13 g saturated fats, 0.5 g trans fats), 2,290 mg sodium, 155 g carbs (6 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 40 g protein

Panera Bread made the inconceivable a actuality in 2020 with the debut of this dish that mixes its broccoli cheddar soup with macaroni and cheese. However when served in a bread bowl, this menu merchandise rapidly earns a spot on the “do not eat this” checklist. It has almost a complete day’s price of sodium and greater than half a day’s price of carbs.

tgi fridays chicken parm pasta
Courtesy of TGI Friday’s

Per meal: 1,890 energy, 107 g fats (43 g saturated fats, 1.5 g trans fats), 4,130 mg sodium, 154 g carbs (9 g fiber, 22 g sugar), 74 g protein

Anytime there may be trans fats in a meal, you need to be cautious. This rooster parm pasta entrée from TGI Fridays is packing far an excessive amount of fats, saturated fats, sodium, and protein. Plus, there’s the dreaded presence of trans fats.

“Trans fats is worse for you than saturated fats. Even 1.5 grams in a day is comparatively excessive, as specialists say that no trans fats is one of the best,” Ward says.