The Ultimate Unhealthy Restaurant Dishes of 2009

I was absolutely disgusted to see that restaurants are serving ever-increasing portions of horrifying food to draw customers through the doors. The following dishes have made the Center for Science in the Public Interest's list of the worst restaurant foods in their June issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter:

• Chili’s Big Mouth Bites with French fries (four mini bacon cheeseburgers with fried onion strings): 2,350 calories, 38 grams saturated fat, 3,940 milligrams sodium.
• Olive Garden Tour of Italy, with lasagna, chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine alfredo: 1,450 calories, 33 grams saturated fat, 3,830 milligrams sodium.
• The Cheesecake Factory Fried Macaroni and Cheese: 1,570 calories, 69 grams saturated fat, 1,860 milligrams sodium.
• Chili’s Original Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs: An add-on for entrees, with 490 calories, 12 grams saturated fat, and 2,050 milligrams sodium.
• Red Lobster Ultimate Fondue shrimp and crabmeat in a lobster cheese sauce served in a sourdough bread bowl: 1,490 calories, 40 grams saturated fat, 3,580 milligrams sodium.
• Uno Chicago Grill’s Mega-Sized Deep Dish Sundae: 2,800 calories, 72 grams saturated fat.
• The Cheesecake Factory’s Chicken and Biscuits: 2,500 calories.
• Applebee’s Quesadilla Burgerwith fries: 1,820 calories, 46 grams saturated fat, 4,410 milligrams sodium.
• The Cheesecake Factory Philly Style Flat Iron Steak with fries: 2,320 calories, 47 grams saturated fat, 5,340 milligrams sodium.

OK, was anyone else thrown off by a 2,800 calorie sundae????? Apparently it is a chocolate chip cookie baked in a pan pizza and topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce...I am shocked because the chocolate cake I made the other day for a 10 slice size had only 1,100-ish calories to it. But this was a huge wake up call...watch what you eat because restaurants can sneak the calories in on you!!!! If you eat out a lot especially if you travel PLAN FOR THIS!!! Personally, I think they should tell you if you are about to put over a day's worth of calories in your mouth as a dessert or an appetizer...and apparently, The Center for Science in the Public Interest agrees with me. They are backing a federal menu labeling bill that would require calorie counts to be listed on the menus and menu boards of chain restaurants. The National Restaurant Association is supporting a measure that would allow nutritional information to be listed in other locations -- such as a brochure or poster -- when a customer orders.

Bottom line - In this case ignorance is NOT bliss!!!!