Whether this is a to-do list or a to-don’t list is your call.
It probably doesn't come as a surprise that chain restaurants tend not to make the most health-conscious meals.
Basically the whole point of having a meal at a chain like IHOP or Pizza Hut or the Cheesecake Factory is that these places serve huge portions of stuff that's just tasty AF, nutrition be damned. (Pizza with a crust made of detachable cheese-filled bread bowls, anyone?)
@yougottaeatthis / Via instagram.com
Each year CSPI "honors" unhealthy chain restaurant meals with Oscars-style awards like "Most Damage From a Supporting Vegetable" and "Worst Cheese in a Leading Role."
But in a land of detachable, cheese-stuffed pizza crusts, where do you even start when evaluating the unhealthiest stuff?
Three words: high-calorie mashups.
Lindsay Moyer, senior nutritionist at CSPI, told BuzzFeed Health via email that the process started with looking at the menus of the top 200 chain restaurants in the US, as listed by Nation's Restaurant News.
"In addition to menu items that are outrageously high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, we look for dishes that pile shocking amounts of unhealthy foods onto a single plate," Moyer said.
She said that these "high-calorie mashups" tend to be the worst offenders.
For example, "Chili’s Ultimate Smokehouse Combo puts three entrees and three sides on one huge tray," Moyer said via email.
Moyer said that while the "winning" meals are extreme examples, "even the typical dishes served in restaurants are a threat to Americans’ health because they raise the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. You get at least a thousand calories in a typical entrée at most restaurants. Expect another thousand each from the appetizer and dessert."
@intlfroyoassn / Via instagram.com
CSPI based its calculations on the FDA's recommendations for daily nutrient intake for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
And look, no one is saying to commit yourself to a life of low-sodium, sugar-free, no-saturated-fat-ever heartache.
It's just that lots of added sugar is linked to heart disease and diabetes, too much sodium can raise your blood pressure, and having a ton of saturated fats (the fats in meat and dairy) to the exclusion of unsaturated fats (in fatty fish, avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butter, etc.) is not optimal for heart health.
CSPI / Via cspinet.org
via BuzzFeed/Food