The 7 Worst Restaurant Foods in America

We all enjoy eating away from home from time to time and try to make smart choices when we do. Sometimes we sabotage all our best efforts and give in to a moment of weakness. The more you know about Diet Friendly Dining when you are eating Food on the Run the more you will be able to resist temptation.

To help you reduce the high fat, sugar, sodium and calorie temptations when you are eating away from home, here are seven of the worst foods in American restaurants that you should avoid at all cost.

1. Quizno's Large Tuna Melt - While tuna is a good protein source, when it is mixed with high fat dressings the negatives far outweigh the positives. Add to that a large portion size and you manage to create a 1,700-calorie sandwich that provides 133 grams of fat including 26 grams of saturated fat along with more than 2100 mg of sodium.
   
    
2. Chili's Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing - Obviously when it takes more than a line to write the title there are too many items in the sandwich for it to be low calorie. This sandwi*****ludes items from a variety of food groups but for most people watching their weight, it also includes more calories than they should have for the entire day with about 1900 calories as well as 138 grams of fat and a whopping 4,201mg of sodium.
   
    
3. On the Border Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos with Chili con Queso - If you are sharing this appetizer with others and only enjoying a taste you are probably fine. However, enjoying the entire 1,950-calorie appetizer yourself will also contribute 134 grams of fat not to mention more than 6,000 mg of sodium to your daily intake.
   
    
4. P.F. Chang's Combo Lo Mein - This noodle dish with chicken, shrimp, beef and pork is recommended to be two servings which helps lower the calorie and sodium damage to your daily intake. However, if you are super hungry and choose to enjoy the entire entrée you will find your daily intake has been set back an additional 1,968 calories, 96 grams of fat and 5,860 mg of sodium.
   
    
5. Romano's Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Sole - A couple of servings a fish each week is recommended for healthy eating however how your fish is prepared does make a difference. This fried fish entrée covered in cheese contributes a massive 2,190 calories, 141 grams of fat and 2,980 mg of sodium.
   
    
6. Chili's Fajita Quesadillas Beef with Rice and Beans with Four Flour Tortillas and Condiments - Fix-it-yourself dishes can be a great way to control portion sizes and limit higher fat condiments that can quickly increase the calorie count. However, they can also hide total intakes when you have more than one like in this complete entrée that includes four servings and a total of 2,240 calories, 92 grams of fat and 6,390 mg of sodium.
   
    
7. Uno's Chicago Grill Classic Deep Dish Individual Pizza - Chicago style pizza is delicious and selecting an individual pizza can seem like a great way to limit the nutritional damage. When you are talking about deep pizza, it is important to remember that all that space provides plenty of room for extra cheese, sauce, and toppings, which contribute over 2,300 calories, 165 grams of fat and 4, 920 mg of sodium as well.

Since most of these food items provide more calories, fat and sodium than recommended for an entire days healthy diet, they are best left on the menu and not on your table.

What are the BEST entrée alternatives you have found to replace these seven when enjoying a meal away from home?


 

Eating out has not been a real issue for me.  Since my surgery, my husband and I always split an entree, and we'll usually get an appetizer so he gets enough to eat.  My faves are grilled or blackened fish, steak (filet) or chicken.  Early on I'd eat refried beans or black bean soup if we went to a Mexican restaurant.  If I do order my own entree, I'll take the extra home and eat it-usually have enough for two lunches!

Kim

There is not one item on that list that I have ever eaten so I'm not too worried about those.  My biggest problem is crab legs.  I'm the only one in the family who will eat them, I can't eat an entire dinner of them and they just don't re-heat well.  I also love lobster tail so my husband will order his entree (at Red lobster) and get a side order of lobster tail.  I also will have clam chowder soup.  While I do try and watch things like fat and sodium intake, I eat so little that things like a extra butter and cream soup aren't much of a problem as far as the scale and I don't feel like I'm deprived.

Colleen