The 20 Worst Foods in America

Phantom Pain

2,900 Calorie Appetizer !

I have had that appetizer actually for the whole table though not individually



http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/139/the-20-worst-foods-in-america/



The 20 Worst Foods in America
Posted Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 3:21 pm PDT




Restaurant food is bad for us. You may assume that anything you order at a drive-thru is less than sterling in a nutritional sense, but, in fact, the majority of what we eat at restaurants — even ones with helpful waiters and real tablecloths — is worse for us than we might ever imagine.
A study from the University of Arkansas that found the average diner in this country underestimates his or her caloric intake by up to 93 percent when eating out. Translation: Every time you eat at a restaurant, you're probably eating twice as much as you think.

The scariest part is that it isn't our fault. By expanding portion sizes, spiking our foods evermore with added sugars and dangerous fats, and slapping misleading labels on menus, the restaurant industry has made it nearly impossible for consumers to accurately gauge the caloric heft of, say, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs or a tropical fruit smoothie.
Some studies even show that nutritionists — the PhD-packing "experts" — can't get their calorie counts right. So how can you be expected to?

In researching our book "Eat This, Not That," and to help combat the problem and give people a better idea of how perilous a simple dinner out can be, we spent months reading nutritional info, analyzing food, inspecting menu boards, and, yes, even eating some of these industrial-strength calorie bombs to come up with a list of the restaurant industry's worst individual offenders. Our primary criterion? Sheer caloric impact. After all, it's the top cause of weight gain and the health problems that accompany it. We also factored in other key nutritional data, such as excessive carbohydrates and fat, added sugars, trans fats, and sodium.
The result is our first annual list of the worst foods in America.

Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)
900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
166 g sugar

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milk shake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream.

Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)
1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves 2, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle's menu is limited to football-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads — all of which contribute to a humongous waistline.

Worst Kids' Meal
Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese
1,210 calories
62 g fat
3,450 mg sodium

It's like feeding your kid 1½ boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.

Worst Fish Entree
On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans
2,100 calories
130 g fat
169 g carbs
4,750 mg sodium

Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer calories.

The Worst Food in America
Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing
2,900 calories
182 g fat
240 g carbs

It's the caloric equivalent of eating 14 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, before your dinner arrives. Even if you split this "starter" with 3 friends, you'll have downed a meal's worth of calories.

For a complete list of the 20 Worst Foods in America, and details on how to disarm the restaurant industry's weapons of mass construction, check out these rankings and nutrition secrets.

purple_chick79

My gawd those fries look soooo good! My gallbladder would kill me though.

Slip Kid

I gotta cut back on eating so damn much. .

drivingrl

Phantom Pain wrote:

Worst Mexican Entree
Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,179 calories
47 g fat
125 g carbs
2,656 mg sodium

Despite a reputation for using healthy, fresh ingredients, Chipotle's menu is limited to football-size burritos, overstuffed tacos, and gigantic salads — all of which contribute to a humongous waistline.

Sweet. I can still have a Chipotle burrito on my 1300 calorie per day diet!

I don't care if it's bad for me, those burritos are delicious.

Brain of J.Lo

...speaking of chipotle....

The one in Moorestown officially opens today! In fact, my husband is on his way there right now to pick himself up one of those oh-so-unhealthy burritos.

PJ_Saluki

Shouldn't this be called the "20 Most Awesome Foods in America"?

Funkdog

PJ_Saluki wrote:

Shouldn't this be called the "20 Most Awesome Foods in America"?

ha, nice. I'm gonna create the ultimate: Deep Fried lard w/Cheese & Sour Cream and ranch dip to boot, bon apetite! I don't know why the ultimate bacon cheeseburger from Jack In The Box isn't up there, have you seen that thing? It makes my heart hurt just looking at a picture.

JaneNY

I wouldn't eat any of those. I like being slim more than I have a need to eat that stuff.

Spunkie

Go ask Mikey. He'll eat anything.

prljmngrl

Chipotle...yum!

sponger

Yes I remember hearing about the Chipotle burrito on the local news, and that was the last time I ate at Chipotle. In fact, I really began to cut back on tortillas altogether after that.

I used to eat at a Chipotle after math class in college with a classmate who needed a ride to get home on those days. She was really, really fat, lol. But her acne bothered me more than her weight.

GraySaturday

yo, those aussie cheese fries are so tasty!!!

and so is that moo drink, and chipotle, and I love me some pot pie!!!

I'm not big on fish tacos though

It makes me sad to know I have eaten most of these things on way more then one occasion. Maybe thats why I was really heavy before...

eating out will really kill your diet! If I ever need motivation to cook at home, I look up some info on places calories and then I don't feel so hungry anymore!

go pre

fuck it, you gotta live. eat what tastes right.

fat+flavor

LikeAnOcean

I'm glad I have a super matabolism.

brainofPJ

i remember seeing this awhile back....

and thinking how my bro and friends and i would go to outback a couple times a month and order 2 plates of these fries...

wow.

Hinny

GraySaturday wrote:

yo, those aussie cheese fries are so tasty!!!

I have never seen anything like that here in Australia. Oh wait I have. Yeah, they're everywhere.
And hey, if any of you guys ever come visit, we have complimentary kangaroos stationed at the airport for you to ride to your hotel, with wombats trailing behind with your bags!

decides2dream

JaneNY wrote:

I wouldn't eat any of those. I like being slim more than I have a need to eat that stuff.

this is the attitude i am trying to adopt.


i used to be able to eat ANYthing and no ill results, still so slim. not so much anymore. now i most definitely have to make wise choices. sure, i still indulge here and there b/c that's just how i am. however, i most definitely THINK about my choices so much more, and really try, and usually do, eat VERY healthy most of the time. i really, really want to be just like you posted, so then i don't even give it a second thought. kinda like smoking. i used to LOVE smoking....now........bleck!

GraySaturday

Hinny wrote:

I have never seen anything like that here in Australia. Oh wait I have. Yeah, they're everywhere.
And hey, if any of you guys ever come visit, we have complimentary kangaroos stationed at the airport for you to ride to your hotel, with wombats trailing behind with your bags!

I'm not sure if you are joking with me, or making fun of me.. I know they aren't really aussie, they are just called that..

GraySaturday

decides2dream wrote:

this is the attitude i am trying to adopt.


i used to be able to eat ANYthing and no ill results, still so slim. not so much anymore. now i most definitely have to make wise choices. sure, i still indulge here and there b/c that's just how i am. however, i most definitely THINK about my choices so much more, and really try, and usually do, eat VERY healthy most of the time. i really, really want to be just like you posted, so then i don't even give it a second thought. kinda like smoking. i used to LOVE smoking....now........bleck!

My mom always says, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"

I totally think of that now when making my food choices. I feel like I have a little angel on my shoulders saying that, and a little devil saying, "eat the damn cupcake girl!"

the angel actually wins, surprisingly.

harmless_little_f***

GraySaturday wrote:

I'm not sure if you are joking with me, or making fun of me.. I know they aren't really aussie, they are just called that..

Yeah it sounds like you're being blamed for the name of the dish lol

brainofPJ

Hinny wrote:

I have never seen anything like that here in Australia. Oh wait I have. Yeah, they're everywhere.
And hey, if any of you guys ever come visit, we have complimentary kangaroos stationed at the airport for you to ride to your hotel, with wombats trailing behind with your bags!

haha, so cute.

i was at an outback last week sitting at the bar and this guy couldn't make up his mind as what to order and the bartender said "how about a Fosters, it's australian...."

i got a good chuckle from that...