Your favorite restaurants and local supermarket are full of health-food impostors

By David Zinczenko

This is an election year, which means that if you hate being lied to, the next 11 months are not going to be pleasant.

Your instinct might be to turn off the TV, cancel the paper, and unplug the Internet until November passes. And that will work, to a certain extent. But if you really want to avoid being lied to, I suggest you take an even more radical step.
Stop going to the supermarket.

Unless you’re as easily misled as Newt Gingrich’s ex-wives, you’re already clued in to the idea that most political campaigns are nothing but a pile of baloney, sandwiched between two slices of toasted mendacity. But unless you have a Ph.D. in nutrition, you might not realize that the supermarket shelves are as full of shysterism as the campaign trail. Every time you walk into a grocery store or a restaurant, food marketers are trying to feed you a line of bull.

That’s why we launched the Eat This, Not That! book series four years ago. By playing David to Big Food’s Goliath, we keep the food industry honest. More than 6 million books later, the mindset of hungry Americans is clearly changing. Recent polls show 96% of us would like genetically modified foods to be clearly labeled, and 70% of U.S. diners want more transparency about the sourcing and nutritional value of their menu items.

But until those improvements come to pass, you’ll have to take your nutritional fate into your own hands. The shelves of your local supermarket and the pages of your favorite chain’s menu are rife with health food impostors, and it’s up to you—and me—to call them out..  Some of these shady products are so egregious, in fact, that I believe they deserve a swift smack from the heavy hand of the law. Below I throw the book at 7 foods that just aren’t what they seem.

Food Label Lie #7: Sunny D

The Crime:  The day-glo liquid presents itself as a delicious, nutritious alternative to orange juice, but in truth, it’s little more than sweetened water.

The Evidence: Look at the label. The vast majority of this bottle consists of water and corn syrup, with less than two percent coming from concentrated juice swirled with artificial colors, sweeteners, canola oil, and sodium hexametaphosphate (don’t ask).  The beverage company bases its vague nutrition claims (“sunshine in a bottle”?) on the fact that Sunny D contains 100% of your vitamin C. But you know what else has 100% of your day’s vitamin C? A scoop of broccoli, a few thick slices of red bell pepper, a medium orange, or a multivitamin. Also condemnable is Sunny D’s current marketing campaign, which encourages children to collect Sunny D labels in exchange for schoolbooks. Care for some diabetes with that diploma?

The Takeaway: “Fruit-flavored” is no substitution for real fruit. If you want the full nutritional package, buy fresh, unadulterated produce—or at the very least 100 percent juice. Sunny D isn’t the only beverage that will drown your healthy diet.

Food Label Lie #6: Natural Cheetos

The Crime: Abuse of the term “natural.” Last I checked, Cheetos don’t grow in the wild.

The Evidence: When was the last time you saw a flowering field of disodium phosphate? Or how about a fresh crop of maltodextrin? Didn’t think so. These cheese puffs consist largely of corn, but they’ve been processed to the point that no 20th-century farmer would ever recognize them as food. What’s more, compared to regular Cheetos, they only have about 10 fewer calories per serving. Oh, and see those “natural flavors” on the ingredient statement? By FDA standards, those don’t even have to relate to the food in question. For all we know, those are tinctures made from bovine bone marrow.

The Takeaway: Except in the instance of some meat products, the FDA doesn’t regulate use of the word “natural,” leaving the food industry free to define it on its own terms.  In 2008, natural products reached $22 billion in sales, four times that of organic products. Defend yourself by reading the ingredient statement. If you can’t pronounce it, it probably ain’t natural.

Food Label Lie #5: Mott’s Medleys Fruit and Vegetable Juice

The Crime: Although wholesome by juice standards, this one is promoted to parents as a substitute for real fruits and vegetables. But fruits and vegetables have fiber; Mott’s has none.

The Evidence: The Mott’s label says that each bottle contains two servings of fruits and vegetables, and sadly, the USDA agrees. The government’s MyPlate considers juice to be a suitable substitution for produce. But here’s why it’s not: One of the biggest health boons of fruits and vegetables is the fiber, which fills the stomach, slows digestion, and fights disease. According to a recent study from Archives of Internal Medicine, people who consume the most fiber have a 22% lower chance of premature death from any cause. Yet at the current rate of consumption, Americans are getting only about half the fiber they need. A single apple has more than four grams of fiber. That’s about four grams more than a bottle of Mott’s Apple Medleys.

The Takeaway: Modest amounts of juice can fit into a healthy diet, but it’s no substitution for whole produce.

Food Label Lie #4: Mission Garden Spinach Wraps

The Crime: Mission’s “Garden Spinach” wraps are guilty of identity theft—there’s no spinach to be found in these crooked tortillas!

The Evidence: Along with a ton of unnatural, unhealthy ingredients like enriched flour, these spinach imposters contain less than 2 percent of “spinach powder” seasoning. Yum! And the wraps’ green color? Courtesy of food dyes yellow #5 and blue #1.

The Takeaway: Don’t judge a book by its cover—or a product by its package. The front label is little more than an advertisement for the company, so for legitimately useful information, look to the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredient statement. And remember: Just because a food is “flavored” like a whole food doesn’t mean it contains a whole food.

Food Label Lie #3: Doritos

The Crime: On the front of the bag, Frito-Lay reassures us that Doritos contain “0 grams trans fat.” Problem is, it’s a blatant lie!

The Evidence: Partially hydrogenated oil is the primary source of trans fat, and these cheesy chips contain two types: partially hydrogenated soybean oil and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. So how does the company get away with the “0 grams” claim, you ask? The FDA allows manufacturers to market products as trans-fat free if they contain less than 0.5 grams of the artery-clogging acids per serving. But get this: The American Heart Association recommends we max out our trans fat intake at about 2 grams per day, so if you’re regularly eating foods with 0.49 grams per serving, then you can easily surpass that limit without knowing. That could lead to a host of cardiovascular problems, and one recent Spanish study even linked increased trans fat consumption with a lower quality of life and overall happiness.

The Takeaway: At the risk of belaboring the point: Read the ingredient statement. If you see anything that’s been “partially hydrogenated,” you have a trans-fatty food in your hand. Set it down and nobody will get hurt—least of all you.

Food Label Lie #2: Chili’s Guiltless Grill Classic Sirloin

The Crime: This “Guiltless” entrée is, well, guilty—of containing a shameful amount of salt.

The Evidence: Chili’s loads this sirloin with 3,680 milligrams of blood-pressure-spiking sodium, far exceeding the USDA’s recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams (for some people, like those at risk for hypertension, it’s only 1,500 milligrams!). And the Chili’s marketing team has the nerve to put this on the restaurant’s “Guiltless Grill” menu? Guffaw! Sadly, Chili’s isn’t the only guilty restaurant when it comes to the sins of salt. Chains like Applebee’s and Cheesecake Factory, for example, also pack egregious amounts of sodium into specialty items geared toward health-conscious eaters.

The Takeaway: In terms of calories, diet or “light” options are usually superior to other items on a chain’s menu, but almost all major chain restaurants still take a heavy-handed approach to the salt shaker. If you’re going to eat out, make an effort to keep your sodium intake as low as possible for the rest of the day.

Food Label Lie #1: Wendy’s Natural-Cut Fries

The Crime: Wendy’s promotes these spuds as a healthy alternative to typical fries—the chain’s website boasts that they’re “naturally-cut from whole Russet potatoes” and seasoned with “a sprinkle of sea salt.” But there’s more to it than that.

The Evidence: A quick skim through Wendy’s ingredient statement is all it takes to expose these fraudulent spuds. They contain preservatives, added sugars, and hydrogenated oil. Last I checked, there was nothing remotely natural about infusing vegetable oil with hydrogen. Technically, Wendy’s isn’t lying that these fries are “natural-cut.” But it makes one wonder: What would be the unnatural way cut a potato?

The Takeaway: Restaurants toss out buzzwords like “natural,” “fresh,” and “wholesome” as a clever way of making not-so-nutritious items seem closer to what you’d make at home. Truth is, food manufacturers haven’t found a way to align your health with their profits, and until they do, the onus of healthy eating is on you and you alone.

Original Article: http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/7-biggest-food-label-lies

The Huffington Post | By Sarah Klein

You wouldn’t sit down to dinner at your favorite restaurant and order a stick of butter a la carte. You’re too smart for that — you know there’d be lots of calories and little nutrients and, most of all, lots and lots of fat.

But some of the cheesy entrees and meaty meals you’re ordering are packed with just as much fat — or more. There’s a total of 92 grams of fat in a stick of butter, much more than the maximum amount recommended for an entire day on a healthy diet.

The Dietary Guidelines For Americans recommend limiting fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories. (A gram of fat provides 9 calories.) For a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, that means anywhere from 44 to 78 grams of fat a day won’t push you over the edge. Most Americans don’t have to worry about not getting enough fat; in fact, our diets are too heavy in saturated and trans fats and skimpy on the healthy, unsaturated kind, found in good-for-you foods like fish, olive oil and nuts.

Unfortunately, it’s too easy to find foods — especially on the menus of your favorite chain restaurants — that trample those daily fat recommendations in one fell swoop. Here are seven of the worst offenders. Let us know in the comments what other fat traps you’ve spotted — or even eaten!

Fried Fish

When health experts say to eat fish a couple of times a week, they don’t mean any and all fish.
Not only are certain types healthier for you (and the environment), but how the fish is prepared also makes a big difference, with fried dishes of course being the worst offenders.
No one expects fish and chips to be a healthy choice, but Applebee’s New England Fish & Chips has a jaw-dropping 138 grams of fat, about the same as one and a half sticks of butter and more than enough fat for three days.

Sneaky Salads

You can’t go wrong choosing the salad, right? Not quite. Whether you’re creating your own or ordering one at a restaurant, beware of piling on too many toppings like bacon, fried chicken, tortilla chips, creamy dressings, croutons, cheese and eggs.

IHOP serves a Crispy Chicken Salad that’s guilty of many of the above no-nos: It’s topped with fried chicken, bacon, two kinds of cheese and a hard-boiled egg, and served with garlic bread,  clocking in at 95 grams of fat.

Applebee’s serves an Oriental Chicken Salad that illustrates another common problem: dressing. Without the vinaigrette, this mix of greens, chicken, almonds and crispy noodles clocks in at 41 grams of fat — which on its own is nearing the lower end of the suggested daily intake range. But with the dressing? That’ll be 99 grams of fat!

Burgers That Overdo It On The Meat

This American staple can be part of a healthy diet — when toppings, cooking method and bread type are taken into consideration. But one of the biggest problems with today’s burgers is their sheer size. A serving of meat is generally considered to be three ounces, about the size of a deck of cards. You might make an appropriately-sized patty at home to throw on the grill, but when’s the last time you saw a three-ounce burger on a restaurant menu?

One particularly scary option: Hardee’s 2/3-lb. Monster Thickburger.  With two 1/3-lb. patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese and mayo, it’ll set you back 92 grams of fat — as much as that stick of butter.

Burgers That Overdo It On The Toppings

Pizza burgers, quesadilla burgers, burgers that have doughnuts for buns — our cravings for fatty foods have led us to try all sorts of wacky combinations. But, like salad toppings, burger toppings, especially when they are really piled high, can cause fat counts to suddenly skyrocket.

TGIFriday’s Southwestern Burger is a serious offender, with cheese, spread, avocado and fried onion strings, rounding this mega-meal out to 100 grams of fat.

Shakes

You’ve probably heard that you generally don’t want to drink your calories. Well, you probably don’t want to drink your fat, either. While shakes and smoothies can be healthy, they are often loaded with hidden sugars and fats.

You probably wouldn’t expect to find a healthy shake at an ice cream store, but Cold Stone Creamery’s PB&C Shake blows regular ice cream out of the water. This indulgent sip has made headlines around the world after Men’s Health named it the worst beverage in America. At the time, the chocolate ice cream, milk and peanut butter concoction was listed at 131 grams of fat — the equivalent of about 68 strips of bacon, Men’s Health wrote. Today, Coldstone’s website clocks the large size at well over a stick of butter, with 118 grams of fat. (Even the small has an entire day’s worth, at 74 grams!)

Fried Chicken Meals

This southern splurge became trendy in late 2009 and has enjoyed a lengthy 15 minutes of fame over the last few years. For the time being, the fried chicken buzz may have settled down, but the dish will remain a standby on comfort-food and southern-style menus.

You can healthy up this pick by opting for veggie sides, white meat chicken and by removing the crispy skin. You can also trim back the portions. The Popeye’s website depicts a meal consisting of three pieces of chicken, plus a biscuit and a side. We calculated that a similar meal, topped off with a slice of pecan pie for dessert, would add up to 108 grams of fat.

Quesadillas

All that ooey-gooey cheese, sour cream and guacamole really add up. Other ingredients, like chicken, may be deep-fried. And tortillas are often coated in butter to get that perfectly-toasted appearance. Of course, portion size is a factor here again. If you’re craving a quesadilla, opt for an appetizer-sized one.

Ruby Tuesday’s Baja Chicken Quesadilla sounds innocent enough — it’s stuffed with grilled peppers and onions, and topped with a chile-lime sauce. But one order costs you 95 grams of fat!

Original Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/more-fat-in-foods-than-butter_n_1435853.html?ref=healthy-living#s884092&title=Fried_Fish

By Liz Vaccariello Apr 19, 2012

When it comes to losing weight and starting a healthier lifestyle, I’m a firm believer in little changes that make a big difference. It’s hard—perhaps impossible—to overhaul eating and exercise habits overnight (and have them stick weeks or months later) but making small tweaks one at a time seems more manageable.

That’s why I loved this neat little study recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The authors found that a tiny swap of words and thinking helps resist temptation better. You simply say “I don’t” instead of “I can’t.” Then “I can’t eat ice cream for dessert,” which implies deprivation, turns into “I don’t eat ice cream for dessert,” which helps you feel more in control of your decisions. Research shows diets and eating plans that are all about deprivation ultimately backfire, so next time temptation strikes, choosing a more empowered mindset may help.

1. Turn your fork upside down

Do you stab or scoop with your fork? Americans tend to scoop up food, which can promote mindless eating; British people, on the other hand, keep their forks turned down and stab food to pick it up.

2. Pace yourself

Are you always the first one done eating? Consider it a sign you’re chowing too quickly. Use your fellow diners to help set a pace—observe who is eating fastest and slowest, and aim to eat on par or slower than the slowest eater at the table.

3. Crunch an apple

One study found that eating an apple before lunch can cut how much you ultimately eat by 15 percent, thanks to its filling fiber preventing you from overeating. Another fiber-rich fruit, like pears or berries, should work as well.

4. Get smart about leftovers

One of the worst times for mindless eating is right after dinner—because it becomes part of the clean-up ritual. (You tell yourself, “If I take one more bite of this garlic bread, I don’t have to put it in container or throw it away.”) Downsize your cooking so you’re less tempted to pick at leftovers, or commit to packing up leftovers right away.

Original Article: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/losingitwithliz/2-words-stronger-willpower

By Jenna Bergen Apr 19, 2012

With so many people offering advice on weight loss, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. All too often I’ve overheard a hardworking gym-goer sharing a well-meaning but ill-informed tip with another exerciser. And I’m not the only one who’s heard fitness folklore being swapped on the training room floor. I spoke to top experts in the field to find out the common fitness myths they hear from clients. From the pseudo miracles of the“fat-burning” zone to the misguided magic of working out on an empty stomach, here are the fitness falsehoods you should never follow.

MYTH #1: The best way to lose weight is to drastically cut calories

“Our bodies are smarter than we think,” says Jari Love, star of the Get Extremely Ripped: 1000 Hardcore DVD. “When we eat too little, our body believes that it’s starving so our metabolism slows down and holds onto fat as a potential energy source.” A much better approach: Eat more often, but eat less food at one time, don’t eat fewer than 1,200 calories if you’re a woman or fewer than 1,800 calories if you’re a man—into five to six small meals to keep your metabolism humming.

MYTH #2: Heavy weights will bulk you up

“This just isn’t possible for most women,” says personal trainer and Preventioncontributing editor Chris Freytag. “Ladies have too much estrogen in their hormone makeup. Yes, heavier weights build muscle and strength, but most of us women aren’t lifting anything so heavy that we are at risk for building man muscles.” Plus, muscle is the secret to a revved up metabolism, as it burns more calories than more fat, even when you’re sitting on the couch or at your desk.

MYTH #3: Keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone

If you’ve been exercising at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate in order to shed flab faster, you could be slowing your slimdown. “The fat-burning zone is a complete myth,” says Wayne Westcott, PhD, Preventionadvisory board member and fitness research director at Quincy College. “While it’s true that you burn a higher percentage of fat calories when exercising at a moderate pace, you burn fewer calories overall.” For instance, if you get on a treadmill and walk at a 3.5 MPH pace for 30 minutes, you might burn 250 calories. If you raise the speed to 7 miles per hour, you’d burn 500. Bottom line? “It’s much better to go at the faster speed.”

MYTH #4: Boosting cardio is the best way to bypass a plateau

“The most effective way to lose weight is to include both cardio and weights in your routine,”says Love. “One study found that when individuals cycled for 30 minutes a day, they lost 3 pounds of fat and gained a half pound of muscle in 8 weeks. But individuals who cycled for 15 minutes and weight trained for 15 minutes a day lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of calorie-burning muscle.”

MYTH #5: Ab exercises are the fastest way to a flat belly

“Doing abdominal exercises can strengthen the different ab muscles, but it won’t burn body fat and reveal the ‘6-pack look,’” says Aaron Swan, Private Trainer at the Sports Club/LA-Boston. “Abs are made in the kitchen—not from doing crunches.” A proper diet low in refined carbohydrates and full of lean proteins, healthy fats, and lots of low-glycemic fruits and vegetables will bring you closer to the flat belly you’re after.

MYTH #6: Doing squats will make your butt big

“This one cracks me up,” says Freytag. “We all know what makes your butt big and it isn’t squats. All of us who sit in front of a computer, at desk, or in a car seat all day are at risk for developing weak glutes unless we actively do something about it.” One of the best fixes: Squats! “Science shows that this move will help to lift, firm, and strengthen your buns,” says Freytag. “Just be sure to focus on good form. Keep your knees above your shoe laces and sit back into an imaginary chair; squeeze through your glutes as you return to standing.”

MYTH #7: It can take only a few weeks to reach a reach weight loss plateau.

“Recently, a woman told me she had been training for one month and the scale had already stopped moving,” says Love. “She insisted she had been sticking to her diet and that she was in a plateau, but that likely wasn’t the case.” Why not? A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that it takes 6 months for an individual to reach a weight loss plateau. “If you are only a couple weeks into your program and weight loss has halted, you probably need to watch your diet,” says Love.

MYTH #8: I can slim down by switching to diet soda

There may be zero calories, but chugging those cans of chemicals could be plumping your paunch. “A study at Purdue University found that rats given artificial sweeteners ate more calories and gained more weight than rats given sugar,” says Love. “A better option is to drink water that is naturally flavored with lemon or cucumber slices to keep calories low and hydration high.”

MYTH #9: An empty stomach means more fat burn

You’ve probably heard that working out sans food forces your body to tap into fat reserves to work, but this is far from true, says Freytag.“Science has shown you need to have some glucose in your system in order to ignite your fat-burning furnaces. If you run out of stored glucose, your flame goes out and you start burning up muscle.” Having a little pre-workout snack, 30 to 60 minutes before your workout gives you the energy to go longer and harder, which boosts your burn.

MYTH #10: You can target trouble spots

It would be nice to be able to choose where our bodies store fat (bigger cup size and thinner thigh, please!) but that just isn’t possible.“The scientific truth is that your body decides where to burn fat  based on genetics, regardless of the body part you are exercising,” says Samantha Clayton, personal trainer and co-star of YouTube’s Be Fit In 90.  Instead of focusing on one area, spend your time doing full-body workouts that blast calories, like running or body-weight circuits, for all-over slimming.

Orignial Article: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/yourbestfitness/11-fitness-myths-holding-you-back

By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding

It’s not the cow’s fault.

For a ruminating herbavore, cows sure get blamed for a lot of things. They got blamed for the Great Chicago Fire. They get blamed for contributing to global warming. And now our poor cud-chewing friends are getting blamed for America’s obesity crisis, too.

Okay, it’s not the cows themselves, but their most popular end product—hamburgers—that get fingered as the perp in our ongoing weight struggles. But like I said, it’s not the cow’s fault. See, burgers used to be healthy!

Back before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the average restaurant burger weighed in at about 333 calories. But today’s typical version weighs in at almost twice that—600 calories on average. (Maybe we should have built a wall in Hamburg?)

So don’t blame the cow. Blame the food engineers in chain restaurant kitchens, who are tricking out the simple burger until it has more fleshy extras than Madonna’s stage show. In fact, burgers can be a healthy and satisfying dose of protein, if you know what to look for—and what to avoid.

In our continuing mission to create a more natural and healthier food supply, Eat This, Not That! uncovers America’s 11 most offensive burgers. Beware of them—or it won’t just be the burgers that wind up with oversized buns.

11. Worst Classic Fast-Food Burger

Burger King Whopper with Cheese
760 calories
47 g fat (16 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,410 mg sodium

With 200 more calories than a McDonald’s Big Mac, the Whopper is the clear loser in the battle of the burger icons. Blame it on the jumbo patty and globs of mayo (160 calories worth to be exact). And get this: If you add medium fries and a medium coke—a likely scenario—you’re looking at a 1,500-calorie meal. The best way to “have it your way” at BK? Order a standard cheeseburger and call it a day, or tryCook This, Not That! Easy 350-Calorie Meals and save calories, time, and cash.

Eat This Instead!
Burger King Cheeseburger
300 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated, 0 g trans)
710 mg sodium

10. Worst Burger Kids’ Meal

McDonald’s McDouble Mighty Kids Meal with Fat-Free Chocolate Milk Jug
765 calories
30 g fat (9.5 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,215 mg sodium

I applaud McDonald’s for its recent move to offset fries with fruit in all its kids’ meals, but—apple slices or not—this “mighty” menu option remains the worst children’s choice at the drive-thru. The chain created the Mighty Kids Meal for “in-be-tweens” (kids aged 8 to 12). Problem is, it packs more fat and calories than an adult’s meal should. A standard Happy Meal is plenty of food for your kid—no matter their age—and chicken nuggets trump burgers any day. (Find hundreds of other tips to help your family eat better in Eat This, Not That! For Kids!)

Eat This Instead!
McDonald’s Chicken McNugget Happy Meal with 1% Low-Fat Milk Jug
405 calories
19.5 g fat (4 g saturated)
555 mg sodium

9. Worst Basic Burger

Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger
920 calories
62 g fat (29.5 g saturated)
1,310 mg sodium

This burger bomb landed on the list for one reason: false advertising. At Five Guys, regular burgers are doubles and “Little” burgers are singles. And the burgers aren’t the only serving size rip-off the chain serves up. The “regular” fries have 620 calories—double that of most standard fry orders. The takeaway: Go “Little” or go elsewhere.

Eat This Instead!
Five Guys Little Bacon Burger
560 calories
33 g fat (14.5 g saturated)
640 mg sodium

8. Worst “Healthy” Burger

Ruby Tuesday Avocado Turkey Burger
968 calories
61 g fat
1,601 mg sodium

It’s entirely common for restaurants to top their turkey burgers with so many greasy calories that they completely nullify the small savings you get by choosing turkey over beef. Ruby Tuesday’s Avocado Turkey Burger, for example, has more calories than the chain’s Classic Cheeseburger. The lesson: Turkey doesn’t always mean healthier.

Eat This Instead!
Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin
401 calories
20 g fat
1,023 mg sodium

7. Worst Burger Melt

Red Robin All-American Patty Melt
1,254 calories
94 g fat
1,951 mg sodium

Melts are notoriously high in calories, thanks to copious amounts of butter and cheese, and Red Robin takes the diner classic from poor to preposterous by adding 350 calories of Thousand Island dressing. This “All-American” monstrosity is the highest-calorie burger on the menu, but unfortunately, the others are close behind. In fact, the Keep it Simple Burger is the chain’s only burger that falls below 800 calories, which makes it your only sane option.

Eat This Instead!
Red Robin Keep It Simple Burger
569 calories
24 g fat
991 mg sodium

6. Worst BBQ Burger

Chili’s Shiner Bock BBQ Burger
1,300 calories
74 g fat (24 g saturated)
2,840 mg sodium

An average burger at Chili’s packs 1,400 calories, and the Shiner Bock is among the worst of the lot. The burger’s main calorie culprit: crispy onion strings. Last time I checked, deep-fried onions were a side dish—and a shoddy one at that. This dish also comes standard with 380 calories of fries, so all said, you’re looking at nearly a day’s calories in one sitting. If you want to get your red-meat fix at Chili’s, steak’s the only way to go.

Eat This, Instead!
Chili’s Custom Combinations Classic Sirloin with Sweet Corn on the Cob and Steamed Broccoli
520 calories
21 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,770 mg sodium

5. Worst Sliders

Applebee’s Cheeseburger Sliders with Applewood Smoked Bacon
1,340 calories
87 g fat (75 g saturated, 3 g trans)
2,550 mg sodium

Sliders are particularly sneaky diet traps. First, despite their diminutive stature, they tend to pack as many—if not more—calories as their full-size brethren. Second, they’re often listed as appetizers, which means you risk wolfing down more than a meal’s worth of calories before you even set eyes on your entrée. My advice: Go with a leaner appetizer like the Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos—the only Applebee’s option under 600 calories—and consider sharing with a friend.

Eat This Instead!
Applebee’s Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos
590 calories
24 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
2,150 mg sodium  

4. Worst Double Cheeseburger

Denny’s Double Cheeseburger
1,400 calories
87 g fat (41 g saturated, 2 g trans)
2,680 mg sodium

Some things are better in pairs: skis, wings, Super Bowl tickets. But burgers? Not so much. An extra patty adds little flavor and costs you big on the bathroom scale. Take this double whammy from Denny’s: double patties, double cheese, double a day’s saturated fat, and 2 grams of trans fat. What do all these twos add up to? Double chins. The 540-calorie Veggie Burger is the chain’s only safe burger option, but if you’re an unabashed carnivore, you’ll appreciate the Prime Rib Skillet.

Eat This Instead!
Denny’s Prime Rib Skillet
585 calories
38 g fat (12.5 g saturated)
1,460 mg sodium

3. Worst Crazy Burger Creation

Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger
1,540 calories
92 g fat (35 g saturated)
2,490 mg sodium

American chains are constantly dreaming up wacky dishes designed to get your novelty neurons firing at the speed of light. Perhaps the single best example of this frankenfood effect: the Grilled Cheese Burger from Friendly’s. It’s a giant burger wedged between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Need I say more? If you’re craving grilled cheese, order grilled cheese.

Eat This, Instead!
Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich
800 calories
37 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,280 mg sodium

2. Worst Fast-Food Burger

Sonic Ring Leader Loaded Burger Double Patty
1,660 calories
120 g fat (44 g saturated, 4 g trans)
1,450 mg sodium

The recent unveiling of this menacing half-pound burger marks a new low for a chain that already suffers from an iffy reputation. The bacon strips and onion rings will receive much of the criticism, but it’s the less flashy components that hold the hidden danger. In fact, the two slices of cheddar cheese and the double slather of mayo account for a third of the fat. (Then there’s the “bun oil” Sonic squeezes on.) If you need a burger fix, there are less perilous ways to get it.

Eat This Instead!
Jr. Deluxe Burger with Bacon and Green Chilies
425 calories
25 g fat (8 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
705 mg sodium

1. Worst Burger in America

Chili’s Jalapeño Smokehouse Bacon Burger
1,910 calories
126 g fat (43 g saturated)
5,290 mg sodium

This tricked-out number is the worst of the worst of Chili’s’ burger behemoths. It comes saddled with tortilla strips, bacon, cheddar, mayo, and jalapeno-ranch dressing, the combined impact of which is more than 2 days’ worth of saturated fat and as much sodium as you’d find in 6 pounds of McDonald’s French fries.

Eat This, Instead!
Chili’s Margarita Grilled Chicken
550 calories
14 g fat (4 g saturated)
1,870 mg sodium

Original Article: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/11-worst-burgers-america