The Results Are In: The 5 Highest-Calorie Meals in the Country
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If you're one of the Americans who eat 92 percent of what's on your plate, you'll want to steer clear of these dishes. The Center for Science in the Public Interest released its annual Xtreme Eating winners, a list of the largest, highest-calorie meals at popular chain restaurants around the country.
The numbers are pretty shocking — many are over 1,500 calories per plate, with a few clocking in at over 3,000. As the CSPI puts it, "You could take half home and still overeat." Is your favorite dish on the menu? Check out a few of the winners here, then see the rest of the list. Want to save a few calories on your next restaurant trip? Use these tips for eating healthy when dining out. Source: Instagram
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Red Robin's Monster Meal
Sit down to a Red Robin's Gourmet Monster Burger (1,670 calories), unlimited fries (370 calories per serving), and a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake (1,500 calories), and you'd be eating the equivalent of two days' worth of calories (3,540), three and a half days' worth of saturated fat (69 grams), and four days' worth of sodium (6,280 milligrams), along with about six days' worth of your added sugar allowance (38 teaspoons). "It's like eating seven McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers washed down with a quart of Coke," the CSPI says, calling this the "single unhealthiest" meal the group found.
The Cheesecake Factory's Farfalle With Chicken and Roasted Garlic
A plate of pasta may not seem like such a big deal when you know you're indulging, but the calorie amount is surprising: 2,410 calories, along with 63 grams of saturated fat and 1,370 mg of sodium. To burn it off, you'd have to jog for five hours straight.
BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse's Deep Dish Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
This small, nine-inch pizza is the equivalent of three Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizzas, says the CSPI. At 2,160 calories, 30 grams of saturated fat, and 4,680 milligrams of sodium, you'd have to bike for over five hours to burn it off.
The Cheesecake Factory's Bruleed French Toast
Unsurprisingly, another dish from the popular restaurant makes the list. This brunch staple clocks in at 2,780 calories, 93 grams of saturated fat, 2,230 milligrams of sodium, and 24 teaspoons of sugar. If you were to re-create a similar brunch at home, it'd be the equivalent of 14 slices of Aunt Jemima frozen Homestyle French Toast stuffed with two and a half (8-oz.) tubs of Kraft Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese Spread.
Joe's Crab Shack The Big Hook Up
This fried seafood platter clocks in at 3,280 calories, 50 grams of saturated fat, and 7,610 milligrams of sodium. It's the equivalent, CSPI says, of two of Red Lobster's Admiral's Feasts (fried shrimp, scallops, clam strips, and flounder), along with french fries and Cheddar Bay biscuits.