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
