Worst Foods in America
The Biggest Diet Busters
Provided by Men's Health
Can an appetizer with the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme doughnuts be justified? No. The 2,710-calorie Awesome Blossom has been purged from Chili's menu--maybe the fat-drenched appetizer couldn't withstand the scrutiny of being named one of the worst foods in America last year.
The deep-fried onion wasn't the only thing to withdraw from this year's race--seven other items from 2008's lineup have been removed from menus. Three gut bombs remain, but we found 17 more deplorable dishes worthy of spots on our "worst" list. For now, be sure to avoid them--but here's to hoping these are 20 foods we won't see on restaurant menus next year.
Worst Foods In America 2009
20. Worst Breakfast Sandwich: Hardee's Monster Biscuit
710 calories
51 g fat (17 g saturated)
2,250 mg sodium
37 g carbohydrates
When they say "Monster," they mean it. This 700-calorie behemoth should be enough to scare anyone: It contains nearly a full day's worth of sodium and saturated fat. Instead, try the Sunrise Croissant with Bacon. It's not exactly diet-friendly, but if you're stuck at Hardee's, it's a way to escape without too much damage.
Eat This Instead!
Hardee's Sunrise Croissant with Bacon
450 calories
29 g fat (12 g saturated)
900 mg sodium
28 g carbs
Getty Images
19. Worst Supermarket Meal: Marie Callender's Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie
1,060 calories
64 g fat (24 g saturated fat)
1,440 mg sodium
Marie Callender's perpetrates the ultimate sleight of hand here: the nutrition information says this medium-size entrée has two servings, but honestly, when have you ever split a potpie? Lard-strewn pastry tops and cream-based fillings are the lowest common denominators of the nutritionally nefarious potpie, and this one, with an ingredient list that reads like an O-Chem final, beats out dozens of horrendous iterations to earn this special place on our list.
Eat This Instead!
Marie Callender's Oven Baked Chicken (369 g)
320 calories
12 g fat (3 g saturated)
990 mg sodium
jupiterimages
18. Worst "Healthy" Sandwich: Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12")
1,106 calories
56 g fat (33 g saturated fat)
2,831 mg sodium
96 g carbohydrates
Sure, a Veggie Supreme sandwich sounds healthy, but this foot-long comes with three different kinds of cheese, and it's drenched in oil.
Eat This Instead!
Grilled Chicken Sub (6" regular) and Seafood Salad
456 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated fat)
1,260 mg sodium
Getty Images
17. Worst Kids' Meal: Chili's Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers with Ranch Dressing and Homestyle Fries
1,110 calories
82 g fat (15 g saturated)
1,980 mg sodium
56 g carbohydrates
Most kids, if given the choice, would live on chicken fingers for the duration of their adolescent lives. If those chicken fingers happened to come from Chili's, it might be a pretty short life. A moderately active 8-year-old boy should eat around 1,600 calories a day. This single meal plows through 75 percent of that allotment. So unless he plans to eat carrots and celery sticks for the rest of the day (and we know he doesn't), find a healthier chicken alternative.
Eat This Instead!
Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Platter with Cinnamon Apples
350 calories
11 g fat (3 g saturated)
870 mg sodium
38 g carbohydrates
jupiterimages
16. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal: Dairy Queen 6-Piece Chicken Strip Basket
1,270 calories
67 g fat (11 g saturated fat)
2,910 mg sodium
The strips deliver more grams of fat than four DQ Homestyle Burgers, and nearly 300 more calories than a Large Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard.
Eat This Instead!
Grilled Chicken Salad with Fat-Free Italian Dressing
280 calories
11 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,550 mg sodium
Getty Images
15. Worst Salad: T.G.I. Fridays Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
1,360 calories
Fat: unknown (The company refuses to disclose the nutritional content of the food they're serving you.)
Sodium: unknown
Turns out Friday's monster salads aren't much better than their burgers. Six out of the seven we analyzed topped out with more than 900 calories, which means that lunchtime can be the start of something big--namely, your belly.
Eat This Instead!
Cobb Salad
590 calories
Fat: unknown (The company refuses to disclose the nutritional content of the food they're serving you.)
Sodium: unknown
jupiterimages
14. Worst Breakfast: Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Hotcakes
1,543 calories
77 g fat (26 g saturated; 9 g trans)
2,259 mg sodium
198 g carbs
109 g sugars
It's not a good sign when it takes you nearly five seconds to spit out the name of your breakfast. This bad boy packs in more than 75 percent of your calories for the day, along with more sugar and fat than nine glazed Dunkin' Donuts, and nearly as much sodium as five Bloody Marys. That's why it's back on our list of the 20 Worst Foods in America again this year.
Eat This Instead!
3 Scrambled Egg Beaters with 2 slices of bacon and fresh fruit
314 calories
19.5 g fat (5 g saturated)
700 mg sodium
21 g carbs
18 g sugars
Corbis
13. Worst Fish Entrée: On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Refried Beans and Rice
2,440 calories
159 g fat (36 g saturated)
184 g carbohydrates
5,390 mg sodium
Fish is normally a wise, lower-calorie meat option than heavy burgers or steaks, but these tacos defy that logic. There's only three of them in this dish, but together they account for the caloric equivalent of 43 Chicken McNuggets. Add the carbohydrate-loaded refried beans and Mexican rice, and you're looking at over a full day's worth of calories in one sitting.
Eat This Instead!
Pica Shrimp Tacos
490 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)
78 g carbohydrates
1,650 mg sodium
Getty Images
12. Worst Dessert: Romano's Macaroni Grill Dessert Ravioli
1,630 calories
74 g fat
33 g saturated fat
1150 mg sodium
223 g carbohydrates
Would you eat a Quarter Pounder for dessert? How about four? That's how many it takes to match to calorie-load of this decadent dish. It's the quickest way to ruin what may have been a sensible dinner.
Eat This Instead!
Italian Sorbetto with Biscotti
330 calories
4 g fat
0 g saturated fat
80 mg sodium
71 g carbohydrates
M.Leduc, Corbis
11. Worst Surf and Turf: T.G.I. Friday's NY Strip & Shrimp
1,660 calories
(no other nutritional information available)
Diversity on your plate is usually a good thing, but not with this entrée. It has more calories than three Big Macs. Add variety with healthy sides like a house salad or Friday's broccoli instead.
Eat This Instead!
Half Rack of Ribs
500 calories
18 g fat
650 mg sodium
Getty Images
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Recent Comments
Raejeanowl 03:30:15 PM Oct 30 2009
And yes, there are a number of medications and life circumstances that do play serious havoc with your appetite, energy, water retention, and metabolism. This is above and beyond inborn and acquired metabolic diseases that also impact the likelihood of weight gain/loss. So before you look a "fattie" and feel reassured of your own "superiority," think twice; look instead at average or lean people and know that a number of them are "fatties" who are struggling every day of their lives to get and stay where they are. Or say "there but for the scourge of a divorce, psychiatric illness, job loss, heart or kidney condition, pituitary tumor, PCOS, inflammatory disease requiring prednisone, menopause, (these are just a few I know about from personal or close associate experience) etc. GO I."HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE.
Raejeanowl 03:18:16 PM Oct 30 2009
Anyone who can make a blanket statement like "Fat people choose to be fat." is obviously making a choice for themselves: to be ARROGANT, PREJUDICED AND IGNORANT.Everyone needs to assert some care and self-control with their overall diet and portion control, to learn how to eat out less frequently, or to eat half portions of these high-calorie, high-sodium and high-fat foods, and doggy bag the rest. This goes for "skinnies" as well, who may be ruining their health eating badly and failing to exercise DESPITE keeping the scale number down.HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE.
Gloria81604 11:40:48 PM Mar 04 2009
From the looks of these comments...It appears that MOST FOLKS ASSUME that the FAT PERSON is not exercising, and stopping by the fast food place all the time...NOT TRUE...I was in a car accident 4 1/2 years ago, and have been severely limited in what I am able to do physically...plus, I DO HAVE SLEEP APNEA...and have learned that certain foods AND MEDICATIONS cause weight gain...yes...medications for heart and depression...and certain foods that are fine for 'NORMAL' people are fat-creators for the person with Sleep Apnea...I am just amazed with this new information...You guys would look at me, and not believe that I work out at the pool, 2 hrs three days a week in the deep water aerobics class...with an injured knee and artificial elbow...I think I do ALOT...and so does my HEART DOC...who says my EF has improved from 35 to 55..that's Ejection Fraction..I feel great and can bend over and touch my palms to the floor...I can get on the floor and get back up...and I am 54..I know that some
Gloria81604 11:26:50 PM Mar 04 2009
Did you guys know there was something out there called FRIED GREEN BEANS??? I don't get out much...usually don't know the menus for fast food, and was shocked to find out that something that I love has become a fried food...and yes, I live in the South, but cannot believe that lovely food has been turned into a horrible fatty food!! Of course, the gal I was with that ordered it, IS NOT FAT...hmmmm...and I have the BMI that calls me Obese..and I am eating fresh spinach, drinking water, and RARELY eat beef...what gives???
Sonnydase 06:58:32 PM Feb 12 2009
I like reading this article because you never really know what your eating unless you make it yourself. I like to dine out, but do it rarely because of this.Oh and I love fat people that try to blame society, school lunches, or restaurants for being fat. Maybe if you stopped shoveling fried lard down your throat and took a walk you wouldn't be so huge. Stop expecting the government to save you from yourself and take a nutrition class! Yeah I said it!
Lusitania2000 06:40:43 PM Feb 11 2009
Just watch,The sales of all 20 of these evil, vile (LMAO) foods will go up and agency people will be glad they entered their foods in the 20 worst foods contest.I am sure there are 20 worse foods served, but Chili's will ba jammed for the next few days...that's for sure!
Merle T Cornpone 06:06:29 PM Feb 11 2009
The reason people can name worst foods is because this is supposed to be a free country nd the media covers stories that sell, but, as is the case with warnings about alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy, if the government has a vested interest in something, like healthcare, or highway safety, they will hop on the issue, too.If your life is lard, go for it.
PrairEdust 05:39:35 PM Feb 11 2009
Chili's is one of our favorite restaurants and I am very disappointed that they have caved to those in our society who want to tell us all how to live. I'm sorry, but fat people CHOOSE to be fat whether they are genetically predisposed or not. The rest of us enjoy monitoring our OWN personal intake and being able to splurge on occasion with a treat like an Awesome Blossom. I really want this stupid politically correct, food policing country OUT of MY business!
ashleyisacowboy 04:59:29 PM Feb 11 2009
It takes a very pathetic person to take an article about fatty greasy food and turn it into some weird hear say about the president being a socialist. I'm glad those bloomin onions are gone, they looked like a fungus or something. Plus I just dont like onion rings. I dont see anything wrong with putting a limit of how much fat is in something. I'm fat and was raised in a family of morbidly obese people, so if it means we're teaching little kids healthy eating habits, then great. By the way some of these pictures look gross. I dont know why, they just do.
ASteelrMan 04:31:36 PM Feb 11 2009
Who the heck appointed you guys the "food police?" Damned, and I really liked that awesome blossom too! Screw you guys and stay out of my business! But, then again, you probably voted for that socialist in charge of the country now too! I suppose next the gubmint's gonna start telling these businesses they have fat and calorie limits and they can't go over them..unless...they buy fat and calorie credits that they can buy from some stupid assed veggie joint that doesn't use theirs!!!
