Wendy's Sweet and Spicy Boneless Wings
In June, Wendy’s launched this item, claiming it was “as far as it gets from fast food." Calorie-wise, this meal isn’t that bad if it makes up your entire lunch. But it has more salt than you should have in a day, let alone at one sitting. One order: 550 calories, 18g fat, 27g sugar, 2,530mg sodium. Choose this instead: Try the Ultimate Chicken Grill, a grilled chicken breast on a sesame-seed bun: 320 calories, 7g fat, 8g sugar. Still, with 950 milligrams of sodium, don’t make it a daily habit.
Dunkin' Donuts' Coffee Cake Muffin
Muffins are often mistaken for the doughnut's healthy cousin. But muffins can be surprisingly high in fat. This one is particularly offensive; you’d need to eat about three glazed donuts to match its nutrients and calories. One muffin: 620 calories; 25g fat, 7g saturated; 54g sugar; 93g carbs. Choose this instead: For an alternative—but equally decadent—breakfast treat, one glazed donut is a better bet: 220 calories, 9g fat, 12g sugar, 31g carbs.
Olive Garden's Grilled Shrimp Caprese
Shrimp are low-fat, low-cal, and high in protein and iron. What’s not to like? In fact, the garlic-butter sauce in this dish helps rack up nearly two-thirds of your daily fat and about one and a half times your sodium limit. One plate: 900 calories, 41g fat, 3,490mg sodium. Choose this instead: Get a lighter version of this dish without the melted cheese and with marinara sauce on the side. The Venetian Apricot Chicken is another option; it has one-third the calories and 1/10 the fat, but still packs a good deal of sodium.
Chili's Onion String and Crispy Jalapeno Stack
Diners and bloggers alike were outraged by the fried-onion Chili’s appetizer, the Awesome Blossom. The unhealthy behemoth was removed from the menu, but its replacement is only a bit better. This appetizer is meant to be shared, but even one-quarter of the dish delivers an entire day’s limit for fat. One appetizer: 2,130 calories; 213g fat, 31g saturated; 1,320mg sodium. Choose this instead: Chili’s doesn’t have particularly healthy appetizers. If you must have one, try the Chips and Hot Sauce (470 calories). However, the chips' sodium is 2,790 milligrams—500 milligrams over the maximum daily intake.
Macaroni Grill's Kids' Fettuccine Alfredo
Kids’ meals, in theory, are smaller than adult portions; children simply don’t need as many calories. The average 10- to 12-year-old, the upper age limit for many kids’ menus, needs about 1,600 to 1,800 calories daily. This meal puts them at half of that, with more fat than a grown adult needs in a day. One order: 890 calories, 67g fat, 1,480mg sodium. Choose this instead: Coax your little ones into ordering the Grilled Chicken and Broccoli: 390 calories, 8g fat. It’s still high in sodium, so ask for sauce on the side and use sparingly.
Quiznos' Chicken With Honey Mustard Flatbread Salad
Unhealthy salads lurk everywhere. They promise grilled chicken, leafy greens, and fewer carbs, but often deliver bacon, cheddar cheese, and high-fat dressing. Don’t be tricked; this salad will cost you half a day’s calories. The dressing alone has 48 grams of fat, nearly your daily max. One salad, dressing and bread included: 1,070 calories, 71g fat, 1,770mg sodium. Choose this instead: The Cantina Chicken Sammie, a 205-calorie, low-fat, veggie-filled flatbread sandwich: 455mg sodium, 12g protein.
Pizza Hut's Meaty P'Zone
The TV commercials for this 1-pound monster feature hungry dudes who don’t want to share. One chows down and tells another, who looks on longingly, to order his own. But these pizza-crust calzones should be shared—preferably with a crowd. Eating the whole thing is akin to consuming about six cheese slices in one sitting, and it delivers one and a half times your daily limit for sodium. One serving size is one-half of a P’Zone. One whole P’Zone: 1,480 calories, 66g fat, 3,680mg sodium. Choose this instead: One slice of the Natural Veggie Lover's multigrain crust pizza has 190 calories, 6g fat, 380 mg sodium, and 9g protein.
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