Worst Restaurant Foods in America

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone

I'm sure we in the group would not choose these foods, but it makes interesting

reading. The article probably raises consciousness in the public as well.

Cheers,

Arturo

http://health./experts/eatthis/24416/20-worst-foods-in-america-2009

20 Worst Foods in America, 2009

By Zinczenko, with Matt Goulding - Posted on Mon, Jan 12, 2009, 12:58 am

PST

Eat This, Not That

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 to the Eat This, Not That! list of the Worst Foods in America last year.

No matter the reason, we applaud this waist-expanding starter's retirement.

The deep-fried onion wasn't the only thing to withdraw from last year's

race--more than 10 other items from 2008's lineup have been removed from menus

(or mysteriously had their calorie counts lowered). That's a step in the right

direction, and it's good news for your waistline.

The bad news? There are plenty of frightening foods still at large across the

country. After another year of menu investigation, weve come up with this year's

list of the most calorie-laden, fat-riddled, sodium-swaddled, sugar-spiked

dishes in America. Eat at your own risk.

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. After Blimpie gets

done with this vegetarian nightmare, you'd be better off consuming two Big Macs

than sitting down with this sandwich.

Don't be fooled by " healthy " foods'replace these 14 imposters with delicious

alternatives that satisfy without expanding your waistline.

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

Chilis, it might be a shorter one. 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.

See our rankings of kids' restaurants so you can help your children pick the

best options every time.

Worst Dessert

Romano's Macaroni Grill Dessert Ravioli

1,630 calories

74 g fat

33 g saturated fat

1,150 mg sodium

223 g carbohydrates

Would you eat a Quarter Pounder for dessert? How about four? That's how many it

takes to match the calorie-load of this decadent dish. Its the quickest way to

ruin what may have been a sensible dinner. (Then again, if dinner was at

Macaroni Grill, chances are it was anything but sensible.)

Worst Burger

Chilis Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch

Dressing

2,040 calories

150 g fat (53 g saturated)

110 g protein

4,900 mg sodium

You know this burger's in trouble when it takes more than 20 syllables just to

identify it. If you think the name's a mouthful, just wait until the burger hits

the table. You'll be face-to-face with two-and-a-half days' worth of fat-a full

third of which is saturated. To do that much damage with roasted sirloin, you'd

have to eat about eight 6-ounce steaks. (It's nearly three days's worth of

saturated fat.)

Not all burgers are created equal. See if your favorite is a healthy indulgence

or a grease slab on a bun.

Worst Starter

Uno Chicago Grill Pizza Skins (full order)

2,400 calories

155 g fat (50 g saturated)

3,600 mg sodium

This appetizer is like eating a Large Domino's Hand-Tossed Sausage Pizza! Would

you ever think of saying to a waiter: " Why don't you start me off with a large

meat pizza? " If you're ordering for a party of more than five, it might be OK,

but for smaller groups, it's tilting toward gluttony gone wild. Order the Thai

Vegetable Pot Stickers instead'the only item carrying fewer than 800 calories.

If you want to eat a little something before your meal, be sure to avoid the

worst appetizers in America.

The Worst Food of 2009

Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake

2,600 calories

135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)

263 g sugars

1,700 mg sodium

We didn't think anything could be worse than Baskin Robbins' 2008 bombshell, the

Heath Bar Shake. After all, it had more sugar (266 grams) than 20 bowls of Froot

Loops, more calories (2,310) than 11 actual Heath Bars, and more ingredients

(73) than you'll find in most chemist labs. Rather than coming to their senses

and removing it from the menu, they did themselves one worse and introduced this

caloric catastrophe. It's soiled with more than a day's worth of calories and

three days worth of saturated fat, and, worst of all, usually takes less than 10

minutes to sip through a straw.

For the complete list of the 20 Worst Foods in America 2009, check out these

rankings and the best options to eat instead of the gut bombs!

Liquid calories add up quickly-especially if you're sipping any of the 20

unhealthiest drinks in America.