Shrimp pasta, steak and eggs, maybe a bacon cheddar double cheeseburger.
Sound good?
Those dishes, as prepared by restaurant chains, may look and taste good, but they’re loaded with calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar — enough to earn them the dubious distinction of being named Xtreme Eating “dis-honorees” on this year’s list from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, known as the CSPI.
For the last six years, the CSPI has released Xtreme Eating Awards winners in its Nutrition Action Healthletter.
But “we think this year that this is the worst of some of the worst,” said Jayne Hurley, CSPI senior nutritionist. “They top the list for being extremely high in calories, saturated fat and salt or sugar.”
Hurley, who has been analyzing restaurant foods since 1993, went through the menus of more than 200 chain restaurants looking for nutritional information.
The nine finalists for 2013:
Bistro shrimp pasta from The Cheesecake Factory.This dish of crispy battered shrimp, fresh mushrooms and arugula is tossed with spaghettini in a basil-garlic-lemon cream sauce. It weighs in at 3,120 calories, 89 grams of saturated fat and 1,090 milligrams of sodium, according to CSPI, equal to three lasagna classico entrees and a tiramisu from Olive Garden.
Cheesecake Factory’s crispy chicken costoletta was not too far behind. According to the menu, it’s a chicken breast lightly breaded and sautéed to a crispy golden brown. It is served with a lemon sauce, mashed potatoes and fresh asparagus.
According to CSPI, it also has 2,610 calories, more than a 12-piece bucket of original recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken, and 4½ days’ worth of saturated fat.
Johnny Rockets bacon cheddar double burger, sweet potato fries and Big Apple shake. This meal packs on 3,500 calories, 88 grams of saturated fat — that’s four days’ worth — 3,720 milligrams of sodium and 15 teaspoons of sugar, according to CSPI.
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article courtesy of CNN.com
