Foodie News
Counting calories? 10 restaurant dishes that will kill you — or at least yourdiet
Denny's Fried Cheese Melt
Morton's Porterhouse Steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinachPhoto by CSPI/Jorge Bach
Cheesecake Factory's Ultimate Red Velvet Cake CheesecakePhoto by CSPI/Jorge Bach
The Provalone-Stuffed Meatballs with fettuccine from Applebee'sPhoto by CSPI/Jorge Bach
The Monster Bacon 'n' Beef Cheeseburger at IHOPPhoto by CSPI/Jorge Bach
Don't worry, America: Your Double Downs are safe. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has given out its 2011 "Xtreme Eating Awards," a dubious honor bestowed on the least healthy foods served at chain restaurants nationwide, and KFC's chicken-bun sandwich didn't even merit a mention. Which is kinda sad, when you think about it.
If chicken buns are the new normal, what exactly is unhealthy enough to stand out?
According to CSPI, it's a trend of "stacked, stuffed and topped" meals. Or as CSPI nutrition director Bonnie Liebman describes them, “It’s as if the restaurants were targeting the remaining one out of three Americans who are still normal weight in order to boost their risk of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and cancer."
But it's not just the low-end chains making an appearance. The 24-ounce porterhouse steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach from Morton's gets called out as well, with a whopping 2,570 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat.
Topping the list is the "ultimate red velvet cake cheesecake," from The Cheesecake Factory with 1,540 calories and 59 grams of saturated fat. Fun fact: This whopper weighs in at three-fourths of a pound! Cheesecake Factory also has the ignoble distinction of being the only restaurant with two foods in the top 10.
The farmhouse cheeseburger is topped with smoked pork belly and an egg, adding up to 1,530 calories and 36 grams of saturated fat — and that's without the fries. According to CSPI, you could eat four McDonald's Quarter Pounders with cheese for the same calories as the Cheesecake Factory plate.
Other entrees that should earn a pass from dieters (and anyone, really) include IHOP's Monster Bacon 'n' Beef cheeseburger (1,250 calories, 42 grams saturated fat), Applebee's provolone-stuffed meatballs with fettuccine (1,520 calories, 43 grams saturated fat), and Denny's grilled-cheese-gone-bad monstrosity, the Fried Cheese Melt (1,260 calories, 21 grams saturated fat).
But it's not just the low-end chains making an appearance. The 24-ounce porterhouse steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach from Morton's gets called out as well, with a whopping 2,570 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat.
Are you guilty of "Xtreme eating"?
