What Are The Most Unhealthy Restaurant Foods?

Top 5 worst foods

Okay, so I didn’t really just comb the menus of every restaurant out there to find the Top 5.

But I did look at popular chain restaurants that serve you easily a day’s worth of calories on one plate.

Here are the 5 that stuck out to me most:

 

1. Macaroni Grill’s Spaghetti & Meatballs

I worked at Macaroni Grill when I first moved to Austin.

Someone asked me about the calories in their Spaghetti, so I looked it up.

I couldn’t believe it when I saw that there are 2,270 calories in that one meal!

That’s PRE-bread, PRE-wine, PRE-soda, PRE-dessert.

As a side note, that Kids Mac & Cheese you’re feeding your little angel has 630 calories.

That angel won’t be flying very far with enough of those meals.

 

2. Chili’s Southern Smokehouse Burger with Ancho Chile BBQ

Another one with over 2,000 calories!

2,290 to be exact–our winner, I guess.

 

3. Subway’s Double Meatball Marinara with Cheese

I’ll admit that I’m making this with the worse possible options–doubling the meat–but still…

We have a 1,720 calorie meal on our hands.

Before the chips, remember.

I point this one out because Subway gets its publicity in part as a healthy alternative to fast food.

However, you still have to be careful even with them.

 

4. IHOP’s Chicken & Spinach Salad

Woops!

Meant to put this in the “Healthy” section.

Or did I?? ?

It’s only healthy if you’re starving to death, considering it contains 1,560 calories!

I haven’t been mentioning fat, so I’ll add that one in: 112 grams.

But I thought salads were supposed to be healthy…

Unfortunately, restaurants don’t make $ selling you on how “healthy” their food is.

They make $ by selling you on how delicious it is.

And if you THINK it’s healthy, by all means they’re happy to go along with the sham.

Restaurant salads are not to be trusted.

They are a Trojan Horse of undesirables.

Which leads me to my last meal worthy of mention:

 

5. Chic-Fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich

Welcome to a 5 minute consumption of 570 calories.

That’s more than a McDonald’s Big Mac.

Add some Waffle Fries and a Large Coke and we’re at 1,220 calories.

Chicken sandwiches are supposed to be healthy, right?

Again, restaurants will take something healthy and make it really fattening in order to sell more of it.

P.S. This isn’t even including any mayo you might add to the sandwich.

 

Does this mean you should never eat out, or that you’re bad if you order something from the list above?

Not at all.

Life is meant to be enjoyed, and sometimes eating a delicious meal is more enjoyable than worrying about the calories that it brings.

However, it’s up to you to be responsible for what goes into your body and for the level of health you maintain.

So maybe eating out less frequently or at least doing a little research into what’s on the menu would help you to enjoy your life a little more healthier.

There are also other ways to help keep you on track for your health goals when you go out to eat.

 

Make substitutions

Substitute unhealthy options for healthier ones.

Enjoy that burger, but maybe sub veggies for the fries.

Also, get condiments on the side so you can control how much you put on your food.

 

Beware of Salads & Chicken Sandwiches

I chose a couple of these in my list because there’s often a mistaken idea that salads and chicken sandwiches are free game when you’re eating out.

Clearly, they are not.

This also means people will often reward themselves with some dessert afterwards.

Knowing the facts helps you to decide if the extra calories are worth the experience. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

 

What if you spent that same $ on a home cooked meal?

One way to reward yourself for not eating out is to use the money that you save to buy some delicious, high quality meals to make at home.

I grew up learning to shop as cheaply as possible, so I’m always a bit hesitant to shell out money on a great cut of meat.

But when I remember that it’s a reward for not eating out instead, I feel better about treating myself once in a while.

After all, when eating at a restaurant, is it really unusual to spend over $30 on you and your spouse, including tip?

So why not buy something extra nice to prepare at home once every week or two instead?

Plus the homemade food will probably go a lot further.

 

Eating healthy when you’re in a hurry –> it’s about the preparation

The biggest obstacle to cutting out restaurants is not having time to cook at home.

I’ve dealt with this one a lot.

You’d think running a gym would make eating healthy a given, right?

Unfortunately, since I spend a lot of my time up there without access to a stove or fridge, it can actually be really difficult to eat healthy unless I prepare ahead of time.

The easiest way that I’ve found is to do as much of your cooking for the week on one day, then put the food into small containers in the fridge.

When you leave for work, grab one of the meals to take with you.

If you ever find yourself saying, “If I don’t eat out, I’ll go hungry”, realize that the mistake was made 1 step earlier.

Take it as a lesson, move on, and next time be prepared.

Coach Forrest