The Trans-Fattiest Foods In America
The Worst Trans Fat Offenders
Provided by Men's Health
The restaurant industry has some serious explaining to do. In spite of a deluge of research that links the consumption of trans-fatty acids to negative health effects, too many of our favorite fast-food and sit-down chains still serve food that’s teeming with the junk. They add useless calories, build bad cholesterol (known as LDL), and lower your good cholesterol (HDL). The American Heart Association says you should consume only two grams or less of trans fats daily. (And we say less. Zero is a good number.)
Trans Fattiest Foods in America
Trans-fattiest Breakfast in America, 2009
Bob Evans' Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes
9 grams trans fat
70 g fat (26 g saturated)
1,493 calories
2,265 mg sodium
110 g sugars
This breakfast is among the worst in America -- and that's not even taking the disgusting overload of heart-harmful trans fats into consideration. These hotcakes pack an entire day's worth of sodium, and three-quarters of a day's worth of calories onto one measly plate -- not to mention, they have the sugar equivalent of four candy bars! When ordering from Bob Evans' breakfast menu, stick with items labeled "Fit From the Farm" -- aside from scrambled eggs or a plain bowl of oatmeal, they're the only healthy breakfast foods Bob Evans' offers.
Eat This, Instead!
Fit from the Farm Breakfast with a Parfait (No cholesterol eggs, turkey link, strawberry yogurt, blueberries, bananas, blueberry topping, soybean oil)
4 g fat (3 g saturated, 0 g trans)
306 calories
703 mg sodium
Courtesy of Men's Health
Trans-fattiest Sandwich in America, 2009
Boston Market Classic Chicken Salad Sandwich
5 grams trans fat
41 g fat (7 g saturated)
800 calories
1,900 mg sodium
Always avoid chicken and tuna salad sandwiches. While chicken and tuna on their own are both perfectly healthy options, they become "salads" by mixing with fat-overloaded mayo -- and, in the case of this sandwich, several unpronounceable food additives. The chicken carver sandwich, listed below, is practically the same dish, just minus the trans-fatty mayo attack.
Eat This, Instead!
Half Boston Chicken Carver
14.5 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
375 calories
980 mg sodium
Courtesy of Men's Health
Trans-fattiest Soup in America, 2009
Schlotzky's Wisconsin Cheese Soup Bowl
5 grams of trans fat
33 g fat (14 g saturated)
460 calories
1,821 mg sodium
Schlotzky's Web site claims "our soups are made with the highest quality ingredients and freshly cooked every day for optimum flavor." But nearly a day's worth of sodium and twice your daily limit of trans fats doesn't sound especially "high quality" to us. Even if you switched from the over-sized bowl to a cup, you'll still take in 4 grams of the stuff. Cheese contains plenty of fat, sure, but partially hydrogenated oils are responsible for this trans-fatty overload.
Eat This, Instead!
Tomato Basil Soup Cup
27 g fat (16 g saturated, 0 g trans)
302 calories
942 mg sodium
Getty Images
Trans-fattiest Salad in America, 2009
Jack in the Box Chicken Club Salad with Crispy Chicken Strips
3.5 grams of trans fat
27 g fat (10 g saturated)
480 calories
1,050 mg sodium
With a bevy of salads, sides, and entrées awash in partially hydrogenated oil, Jack in the Box has earned the dubious distinction as the Trans-Fattiest Restaurant in America. The crispy chicken strips are what make this salad so atrocious. They've been deep-fried in oils, which adds both harmful fats and unnecessary calories. Choose a grilled chicken salad instead to lose the trans-fats and a good portion of the calories.
Eat This, Instead!
Asian Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated, 0 g trans)
180 calories
380 mg sodium
jupiterimages
Trans-fattiest Appetizer in America, 2009
Baja Fresh Charbroiled Steak Nachos
4.5 grams trans fat
118 g fat (44 g saturated)
2,120 calories
2,990 mg sodium
All Baja Fresh nachos come served with heaping piles of Jack and cheddar cheeses, beans, guac, pico de gallo, your choice of meat, and a complete overload of trans-fats. Even if you share this plate of nachos four ways, you'll each still consume over 500 calories -- that's as much as a reasonable sandwich should offer. And who ever heard of having a sandwich before your meal? Choose a fajita appetizer for the table, instead. Mahi Mahi offers a dose of healthy fats, and the caloric intake of the dish below, when divided by four, is much more reasonable.
Eat This, Instead!
Mahi Mahi with Corn Tortilla Fajitas
23 g fat (7 g saturated, 0 g trans)
840 calories
1,960 mg sodium
Getty Images
Trans-fattiest Burger in America, 2009
Denny's Double Cheeseburger
7 grams trans fat
116 g fat (52 g saturated)
1,540 calories
3,880 mg sodium
There's nothing redeeming about this atrocious cheeseburger -- stacked between two buns is nearly three times your daily limit of trans fats, three-quarters of the calories you should consume in one day, and the sodium equivalent of 118 saltine crackers. Aside from the Fit Fare Boca, you're not going to find a reasonable burger on the Denny's menu.
Eat This, Instead!
Fit Fare Boca Burger
8 g fat (3 g saturated, 0 g trans)
410 calories
770 mg sodium
jupiterimages
Trans-fattiest Cold Treat in America, 2009
Dairy Queen Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard, Large
6.5 grams trans fat
67 g fat (33 g saturated)
1,440 calories
165 g sugars
Not a single Blizzard or ice cream treat at Dairy Queen comes without trans fats -- which is ridiculous, because most other ice cream and smoothie places manage to leave it out of their products. This Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard is terrifying on every nutritional level: it's the sugar equivalent of 6 packs of peanut M&Ms, the caloric equivalent of nearly six McDonald's hamburgers, and nearly three times your daily limit of trans fats. The only frozen treat at DQ worth considering is a small Arctic Rush -- and even that should be shared with a friend, to minimize the massive sugar load.
Eat This, Instead!
Arctic Rush, Small
0 g fat
240 calories
48 g sugars
Cassandra Hubbart, AOL
Trans-fattiest Food in America, 2009
Jack-in-the-Box Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges
13 grams trans fat!
52 g fat (16 g saturated)
760 calories
960 mg sodium
It's no surprise this side dish is bursting with fat and calories -- it's a plate of fried potatoes topped with fat-drenched bacon and melted cheese. To be fair, Bob Evans also offers two items with 13 grams of heart-hammering trans fats (Slow Roasted Chicken Pot Pie and the NSA Apple Pie) -- but Jack's is so egregious with their trans fatty dishes that we had to choose them. The good news is that not all of Jack's items are filled with the bad stuff, so make a smart choice and opt for the Grilled Chicken Pita Snack, listed below.
Eat This, Instead!
Grilled Chicken Pita Snack
13 g fat (3 g saturated, 0 g trans)
310 calories
640 mg sodium
Courtesy of Men's Health
Restaurants That Don't List Trans-Fat Content
As of March 2009, a number of restaurants didn't appear on our list, NOT because they don't have trans fats, but only because they refuse to share their trans fat content. It could be that one of these sneaky companies has items on its menu that are far worse than anything listed above -- and, in fact, until they divulge their numbers, we're going to assume the worst. They've got to be hiding those numbers for a reason, right? Here's a list of the restaurants we checked out that didn't list trans fat content. Order from their menus and drive-thru windows at your own risk.
Applebee's
Chevys Fresh Mex
Chili's
Chuck E Cheese
Cosi
Dunkin Donuts
IHOP
Jimmy John's
Olive Garden
On the Border
Outback Steakhouse
P.F. Chang's
Smoothie King
T.G.I. Friday's
jupiterimages
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Recent Comments
JenniferKizzy 11:17:36 PM Aug 15 2009
in the domincan republic im consider,d a bit big only 5,2 and 152 pounds i am considerd a bit big here in america i feel small
JenniferKizzy 11:16:19 PM Aug 15 2009
well america is something else in canada they have smaller pancake.s and soda,s and oj
slimsarah08 09:21:42 PM Jun 27 2009
I avoid trans fat if I can. I was overweight and nothing I tried seemed to work. I then found a great product called ACAI-eez. I started taking my ACAI-eez and then exercising on an empty stomach for twenty minutes each morning and the weight started to drop. I have already lost eighteen pounds by using ACAI-eeez natural supplement. They run an online special of Buy 3 get 1 bottle for free on their website http://www.acai-eez.com I also read a book by Bill Phillips called Body for Life that taught me the fundamentals of getting my body in the best possible shape. I am well on my way to achieving my weight loss goals.
VicVLvic 10:10:55 AM Jun 16 2009
LILMINNIEME1 You are a moron-Gross is what you are, Grouse is an upland game bird who's brain you possess. You can't spell either.LOL
VicVLvic 10:08:20 AM Jun 16 2009
RE:Boston Market Chicken Salad sandwich-trans fat from mayo.I have 2 jars of MAYO in my pantry and both say "ZERO" trans fat. I wish that persons who write for AOL would do some research, not grab "Polly's" cracker and act like parrots! By the way the cracker has no trans fat either-LOL
Judithgrayson 12:31:04 PM Jun 15 2009
americans figured science would figure out a way to make caramel pecan stuffed hotcakes vaporize. no calories. no bad fats would enter our systems. that was then. now, we are fat (very fat) and very unhealthy and science ain't gonna do it. and, people don't have this junk 'every once in a while", otherwise i could get a seat on the bus without someone's ass slopping over onto my sitting zone. in any case, it's 'every once in a while" for a portion the size of a forkfull, not a huge hog portion. keep eating like that and be afraid. be very afraid.
HH ScarletGray 12:52:50 PM Jun 09 2009
Why is everyone so quick to place blame on the places serving this stuff or the people eating it? Can't someone just read over these and use it as a tool to make a decision on what to order when you go out? It does not make me a horrible person for wanting an Oreo shake, and it does not make Baskin Robbins a horrible company for selling it to me. You can eat one of these things every now and then and probably not cut your life short. Just take this information into consideration when deciding how often order them. Do not make a habit of it, but be glad you can get a guilty pleasure from time to time. As angry as some of you people are I suggest you head to Baskin Robbins immediately and order one of the Oreo shakes. It may make you a little bit fatter, but it might help lower your blood pressure a little. That is not healthy for you either.
screech9899 12:44:10 PM Jun 09 2009
Wow...welcome to the future of America. People who can't spell or complete a sentence. These same people want to comment on something they know nothing about. First, AOL, doesn't do any of the reporting on their site. If you bothered to read under the title, this article came from Men's Health. Second, take some classes in nutritional science. You will be amazed what all these chemicals do to the human body during digestion. If something is bad for you, it's bad for you. Even in moderation. I know people will be writing their childish comments after reading this. Before you do, do your homework and get the facts!!!
LILMINNIEME1 12:41:50 PM Jun 09 2009
LRam480 01:52:35 PM Jun 05 2009 Report This! FAT people are grouse, they should all have heart failure and die ; ) lazy bastardsLEARN HOW TO SPELL YOU LAZY FAT AZZ
LILMINNIEME1 12:40:49 PM Jun 09 2009
LRam480 01:52:35 PM Jun 05 2009 Report This! FAT people are grouse, they should all have heart failure and die ; ) lazy bastardsLEARN HOW TO SPELL YOU STUPID ****
