Unhealthy Restaurant Salads

Unhealthy Salads

Salad Shockers

When you're watching your weight, salad is an obvious meal choice. But dieters beware: A lot of seemingly healthy salads pack more calories and fat than a plate of french fries. After looking at this revealing survey of some popular restaurants salads, you'll want to rethink what and how you order.

Going South

While Chili's Southwestern Cobb Salad sounds scrumptious, it contains an unappetizing 1080 calories -- and that's before you add the dressing. That's more than half the amount of daily calories recommended for the average person trying to lose -- or even maintain -- weight. While we love a good Cobb salad, for those calories, you could chow down three medium sized slices of cheese pizza.

Sneaky Salad

Lurking in the nutritious-sounding mix of pistachios, pears, dried cranberries and gorgonzola in Cosi's popular Signature Salad is 611 calories and 45 grams of fat. The biggest offender? The oil-laden roasted shallot sherry vinaigrette dressing. Forget the dressing and you'll cut the calories and fat by half.

That's Almost Right

Of all the salads on Wendy's menu, the Mandarin Chicken Salad seems a safe bet. There are no layers of cheese or even bacon bits, just a blend of lettuce, mandarin oranges, diced chicken, almonds and crispy noodles. So why does this dish carry 540 calories and 25 grams of fat? The sesame dressing packs a whollop. Slim about 100 calories from your salad by substituting a berry balsamic vinaigrette or plain vinegar instead.

Bacon, Lettuce, Too Many Calories

Ruby Tuesday's Carolina Chicken Salad is made with greens, but that's about the only healthy ingredient in this 1,007 calorie concoction. The fried chicken, sugared pecans, bacon and shredded cheddar cheese that top the salad are responsible for its 68 grams of fat and for giving salad, which is usually considered a health food, a bad name.

(Skip the) Dressing for Success

Many times, a salad is comprised of healthy ingredients, but the dressing that flavors the arugula, spinach or radicchio is what amounts to a high fat and calorie count. Boston Market's Market Chopped Salad is one such case. Though the salad isn't exactly light at 480 calories and 40 grams of fat, when the Market Chopped Salad Dressing is drizzled on, it adds an extra 360 calories and 39 grams of fat, or the amount of calories you'd find in Boston Market's Smokehouse BBQ Chicken sandwich.

Et Tu Caesar?

Friendly's Chicken Caesar Salad is no healthful mixture of chopped grilled chicken. Doused with three different types of cheese and a fatty Caesar dressing, this order packs a wallop in the form of 1,030 calories and 84 fat grams.

Unhealthy by Any Other Name

When ingredients like sausage chili, BBQ tortilla strips and sour cream outnumber the vegetables in your salad, as is the case with Bob Evans' Chili and Cheese Salad, be prepared for the consequences. This Bob Evan's order will set you back 855 calories and 64 grams of fat. If chili and cheese are what you crave, skip the salad and opt for a low-fat chicken or turkey chili. Your waistline will thank you!

Seafood Salad Slip-Up

A light citrus dressing tops Macaroni Grill's Seared Sea Scallops Salad, but that doesn't make up for the feta cheese, Parmesan crisps, prosciutto and toasted walnut toppings which add up to 1,170 calories and 94 grams of fat.