Dining out at popular U.S. restaurants can be dangerous to your health. Many menu items are packed with high calories, saturated fats, and excessive sodium. Mouth-watering, deep-fried, sugar-laden choices tempt even the strongest-willed individuals. Let’s take a closer look at some of the unhealthiest restaurant foods found across America.
Bloomin’ Onion
Served at Outback Steakhouse, the Bloomin’ Onion packs over 2,000 calories in a single appetizer. This dish is notorious for its high fat and sodium content, making it a challenge for anyone’s diet. The onion is cut to resemble a flower, battered, and deep-fried, then served with a rich dipping sauce.
Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara
This creamy pasta dish from The Cheesecake Factory is loaded with more than 2,300 calories, primarily from fat and refined carbs. It also contains significant amounts of sodium and saturated fat, exceeding the daily recommended intake in one meal. Despite its delicious taste, it’s a calorie bomb best enjoyed in small portions.
P.F. Chang’s Pork Lo Mein
P.F. Chang’s offers this classic Chinese dish, which accumulates about 1,820 calories per serving. Alongside its high caloric content, the pork lo mein is also high in sodium and saturated fats. The dish combines noodles with marinated pork and vegetables, all steeped in a savory soy-based sauce.
McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes
A true calorie king, McDonald’s big breakfast with hotcakes reaches nearly 1,350 calories. This breakfast platter includes scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, and hotcakes with syrup and butter. It’s a breakfast that covers almost all of a day’s caloric needs in one meal.
Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll
The classic Cinnabon cinnamon roll is an indulgence that contains about 880 calories and 37 grams of fat. It’s also loaded with sugar, contributing to more than the daily recommended amount in just one serving. The sweet aroma and gooey center make it almost irresistible.
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad
Contrary to what one might expect from a salad, Applebee’s Oriental chicken salad is surprisingly unhealthy, containing 1,420 calories. It’s dressed with a high-sugar vinaigrette and crispy noodles, adding more calories than many cheeseburgers. While salads are typically healthy, this version is a calorie-dense meal.
Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
Starbucks’ White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino is not your average cup of joe—it’s a dessert, boasting around 520 calories for a grand size. This drink combines white chocolate mocha sauce, coffee, milk, and ice, all topped with whipped cream. It’s a sugar-loaded beverage that can spike blood sugar levels dramatically.
KFC’s Famous Bowl
KFC’s famous bowl layers mashed potatoes, sweet corn, crispy chicken, and gravy, topped with cheese, amassing over 700 calories. That’s a lot of starch and fat that also packs a hefty dose of sodium. It’s a comforting meal but one that should be consumed sparingly.
Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries
Served as a starter at Chili’s, the Texas cheese fries come loaded with cheese, jalapeños, bacon, and ranch dressing, hitting nearly 2,100 calories. This dish is also high in saturated fats and sodium, which are linked to various health issues. It’s a popular dish for sharing, though still hefty in portions.
Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ Wings
With a single serving containing more than 50 grams of fat, Buffalo Wild Wings’ honey BBQ wings are a decadent choice. These wings are drenched in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, increasing their calorie and sugar content significantly. They’re a fan favorite during game nights but are among the less healthy options available.
Dunkin’ Donuts Glazed Jelly Stick
Dunkin’ Donuts’ glazed jelly stick is a diabetes-inducing doughnut filled with jelly and coated in a sugary glaze, containing about 420 calories. This treat is high in sugar and fat, contributing to its overall unhealthiness. It’s a popular morning pick-me-up that is not a good start to a healthy day of eating.
Domino’s ExtravaganZZa Pizza
Domino’s ExtravaganZZa pizza is loaded with various types of meat and cheese, tallying up to about 350 calories per slice. With its high sodium and fat content, it’s a hearty option that can quickly exceed daily caloric needs. This pizza is a flavorful feast, best enjoyed in moderation.
Olive Garden’s Chicken Alfredo
The chicken alfredo at Olive Garden is infamous for its heavy cream sauce, packing nearly 1,500 calories per serving. Along with its high-calorie count, it also contains large amounts of saturated fats and sodium. While creamy and comforting, it’s a dish that’s far from light.
IHOP’s Cheeseburger Omelet
IHOP’s cheeseburger omelet combines ground beef, hash browns, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and pickles, bringing it to about 1,000 calories. This omelet is also rich in cholesterol and sodium, making it a less-than-ideal choice for a healthy diet. It’s a unique twist on breakfast that packs more than just flavor.
Planet Hollywood’s Cap’n Crunch Chicken
A unique offering, the Cap’n Crunch Chicken at Planet Hollywood is coated with Cap’n Crunch cereal, deep fried, and served with a creamy mustard sauce, hitting close to 1,500 calories. This dish is high in calories, sugar, and fat, thanks to its unconventional breading.
Red Lobster’s Lobsterita
The Lobsterita at Red Lobster is a giant-sized margarita that can contain up to 890 calories per glass. This alcoholic beverage is calorie-dense and high in sugars, contributing to its overall unhealthiness. It’s a festive drink that embodies celebration in excess.
Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs
A full rack of Outback Steakhouse’s Baby Back Ribs smothered in BBQ sauce can set you back about 1,450 calories. This dish is also loaded with fat and sodium, making it a challenging meal for anyone watching their diet. While delicious, these ribs are best saved for an occasional treat.
Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger
The bacon cheeseburger at Five Guys is notorious for its high-calorie count, exceeding 1,000 calories. Laden with bacon and cheese, it’s also high in saturated fat and sodium. It’s a popular burger that’s hearty and satisfying but far from a healthy choice.
Cheesecake Factory’s Breakfast Burrito
The breakfast burrito at The Cheesecake Factory is a behemoth meal that contains over 2,730 calories, making it one of the highest-calorie breakfasts available. Filled with eggs, bacon, chicken chorizo, cheese, potatoes, avocados, peppers, and onions, it is also doused in sour cream and salsa. It’s an all-in-one meal that covers breakfast, lunch, and possibly dinner for two days.
Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d Smoothie
Jamba Juice’s peanut butter moo’d smoothie might sound healthy, but it’s packed with 770 calories and a high amount of sugar in a large size. This smoothie combines peanut butter, banana, soy milk, and a chocolate base, which collectively spike its calorie and fat content.
Taco Bell Nachos BellGrande
Taco Bell’s Nachos BellGrande serves up a whopping 740 calories per tray, loaded with cheese, ground beef, and sour cream. This popular item is also high in sodium and fat, contributing to its classification as an unhealthy choice. While delicious and satisfying, it’s a meal that should be approached with caution if consumed regularly.
