You know that feeling you get after you’ve eaten way too much at your favorite restaurant?
Bloated, sleepy, and maybe even a tad bit guilty?
There’s a word for this phenomenon and it’s called overindulgence.
But it’s not your fault. Really. Because the truth is, it’s pretty darn difficult to understand what’s healthy and what’s not these days. Take the Chicken and Broccoli Pasta at Ruby Tuesday, for instance: You’d think that “chicken” and “broccoli” would result in a fairly healthy dish, right? Not so much. This meal will set you back 1476 calories, 92 grams of fat, and over a day’s worth of sodium.
The bottom line is that if you eat out a lot, you’re making it a lot harder on yourself to maintain a healthy weight.
Knowledge is power, however, so let’s look at 15 restaurant dishes that are particularly unhealthy so you know what not to order next time you go out to eat.
15 Restaurant Meals to Avoid
1. Applebees: New England Fish and Chips
- 1690 calories
- 126 g fat (22 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
- 92 g carbohydrates
- 2840 mg sodium
2. Applebees: Riblet and Chicken Tenders Platter
- 2040 calories
- 115 g fat (28 g saturated, 1 g trans)
- 175 g carbohydrates
- 4610 mg sodium
3. Buffalo Wild Wings: Ribs and Traditional Wings Combo
- 2540 calories
- 187 g fat (60 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
- 111 g carbohydrates
- 5620 mg sodium
4. Buffalo Wild Wings: Ribs and Boneless Wings Combo
- 2470 calories
- 171 g fat (51 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
- 140 g carbohydrates
- 6960 mg sodium
5. Chili’s: Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers w/ Ranch
- 1700 calories
- 77 g fat
- 200 g carbohydrates
- 4110 mg sodium
6. Denny’s: The Grand Slamwich with Hash Browns
- 1530 calories
- 102 g fat (45 g saturated, 1 g trans)
- 97 g carbohydrates
- 3690 mg sodium
7. Longhorn Steakhouse: Porterhouse with Loaded Baked Potato
- 1630 calories
- 102 g fat (41 g saturated, 4.5 g trans)
- 57 g carbohydrates
- 2330 mg sodium
8. IHOP: Country/Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs w/Sausage Gravy
- 1850 calories
- 115 g fat (33 g saturated, 2 g trans)
- 143 g carbohydrates
- 4550 mg sodium
9. Macaroni Grill: Chianti BBQ Steak
- 1920 calories
- 121 g fat (42 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
- 81 g carbohydrates
- 3130 mg sodium
10. Macaroni Grill: Chicken Milanese
- 1570 calories
- 107 g fat (36 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
- 91 g carbohydrates
- 1710 mg sodium
11. Outback Steakhouse: Porterhouse Steak with Loaded Baked Potato and Caesar Salad
- 1693 calories
- 113 g fat (45 g saturated, 2 g trans)
- 68 g carbohydrates
- 2096 mg sodium
12. On the Border: Dos XX Fish Tacos w/ Creamy Red Chile Sauce
- 1950 calories
- 121 g fat
- 158 g carbohydrates
- 3540 mg sodium
13. Red Robin: Triple S Riblet & Creamy Mac and Cheese
- 1904 calories
- 116 g fat
- 119 g carbohydrates
- 4294 mg sodium
14. TGI Friday’s: Jack Daniels Ribs
- 1530 calories
- 73 g fat (21 g saturated, 0 g trans)
- 158 g carbohydrates
- 3220 mg sodium
15. Tony Roma’s: Beef Ribs–Full Slab
- 2289 calories
- 189 g fat (82 g saturated)
- 66 g carbohydrates
- 2895 mg sodium
How to Eat Healthier When Eating Out
So how do you figure out what’s healthy and what’s not when you eat out? Fortunately, many larger restaurants now post nutrition information on their websites. You can either check online before you head out to eat, or ask your server for a copy of the nutrition facts at the restaurant.
A little common sense goes a long way too: don’t order anything that’s fried, cream sauces are a no-no, and opt for fresh veggies as a side instead of French fries. Perhaps most importantly, be sure to watch your portion sizes. One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask your waiter to box up half your meal before it comes out—this cuts your calorie intake by half immediately (as long as you don’t make up for it by scarfing down bread and an appetizer sampler).
At the end of the day, you have the power to educate yourself and use that knowledge to choose healthier foods when you eat out. That in turn can translate into big-time changes to your health over time.
