With the new year comes the need–for many–to cut back on their daily diet and find a way to tone up to prepare for spring and summer. Perhaps that’s why it’s also the perfect time for the Center for Science in the Public Interest to release their list of the top foods to avoid, calorie-wise.
While they may be extremely tasty, these nine dishes are definitely not the way you want to go if you’re watching what you eat. And if you’re a fan of The Cheesecake Factory, you might want to pretend you never read this; the restaurant heads the list with the top two unhealthy dishes on the Xtreme Eating list.
1. The Cheesecake Factory, Bistro Shrimp Pasta: 3,120 calories, 89 grams of saturated fat and 1,090 milligrams of sodium
2. The Cheesecake Factory, Crispy Chicken Costoletta: 2,610 calories and 4½ days’ worth of saturated fat
3. Johnny Rockets, Bacon Cheddar Double Burger, sweet potato fries and Big Apple shake: 3,500 calories, 88 grams of saturated fat — that’s four days’ worth — 3,720 milligrams of sodium and 15 teaspoons of sugar
4. IHOP, Country Fried Steak and Eggs: 1,760 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, 3,720 milligrams of salt and 11 teaspoons of sugar
5. Maggiano’s Little Italy, Veal Porterhouse: 2,710 calories, 45 grams of saturated fat and 3,700 milligrams of sodium
6. Maggiano’s Little Italy, Chocolate Zuccotto Cake: 1,820 calories, 62 grams of saturated fat and 26 teaspoons of sugar
7. Smoothie King, Peanut Power Plus Grape smoothie: 1,460 calories and 22 teaspoons of sugar (40 ounces)
8. Chili’s, full rack of baby back ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ sauce, homestyle fried cinnamon apples: 2,330 calories, 45 grams of saturated fat and 6,490 milligrams of salt
9. Uno Chicago Grill, Deep Dish Macaroni and Three Cheese: 1,980 calories, 71 grams saturated fat, 3,110 milligrams of sodium
The list originated because of the CSPI’s desire to have every restaurant disclose their dietary information for consumers. And in a world of ever-increasing waistlines, CSPI says that’s especially important. What they find most surprising is that so many eateries keep such high calorie, high fat content on their menus in a time when being health-conscious is so popular.
“You’d think that the size of their profits depended on their increasing the size of your pants,” CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson said.
Image: Cheesecake Factory