America's Best—and Worst!—Family Restaurants

The WORST Family Restaurants in AmericaSecond runner up . . .
IHOP
We knew IHOP was up to no good when it refused to reveal its nutritional information back when we first asked in 2007. But we were shocked when a New York City law forced them to post calorie counts: 1,000-calorie crepes, 1,200-calorie breakfast combos, and 1,250-calorie burgers. The company has finally decided to release full nutritional information on its web site, which bumped its F grade (for non-disclosure) up only to a measly D.

Bonus tip: Breakfast restaurants, like IHOP, are almost universally nutritional black holes. Check out 12 shockingly horrible breakfasts to see what we mean.

Survival Strategy: You’ll have a hard time finding a regular breakfast with fewer than 700 calories, and a lunch or dinner with fewer than 1,000 calories. Your only safe bet is to stick to the Simplante & Fit menu, where you’ll find the nutritional content for a small selection of much healthier items.

Don't Eat That! (pictured right)
Spinach and Mushroom Omelette (no pancakes on the side)
910 calories
71 g fat (26 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,580 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
Two x Two x Two (with bacon)
640 calories
37 g fat (13 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
1,580 mg sodium

First runner up . . .
T.G.I. FRIDAY’S
We salute Friday’s for its smaller-portions menu; the option to order reduced-sized servings ought to be the new model, dethroning the bigger-is-better principle that dominates chain restaurants. But Friday’s still refuses to provide nutritional info, and our research shows why: The menu is awash in atrocious appetizers, frightening salads, and entrees with embarrassingly high calorie counts.

Survival Strategy: Danger is lurking in every crack and corner of Friday’s menu. In fact, there are only four entrees with fewer than 800 calories on the menu! Your best bets? The 400-calorie Shrimp Key West, the 480-calorie Dragonfire Chicken, or finding another restaurant entirely.

Don't Eat That! (pictured right)
Santa Fe Chopped Salad
1,800 calories

Eat This Instead!
Cobb Salad
361 calories

And the absolute WORST FAMILY RESTAURANT IN AMERICA . . .
THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY
No restaurant chain exemplifies America’s portion problem more than Cheesecake Factory. Aside from a couple of salads, the leanest regular dinner item is a hulking cheeseburger called The Factory Burger, which delivers the same number of calories as a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese from McDonald’s. That’s the leanest! And it gets worse from there. The average liability for a full-sized sandwich is nearly 1,500 calories, and the average pasta clocks in at 1,865.
But doesn’t Cheesecake Factory have a healthy menu like Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday? Sure they do. Of the more than 200 items on Cheesecake Factory’s menu, you’ll find a measly four spotlighted as “healthy” entrees. Three of the four are salads, and you’ll recognize them by the phrase “Weight Management” printed on the menu. Who wants to order that?
Survival Strategy: Your best bet is to turn your car around and head home for a meal made from ingredients like those on this year's 125 Best Foods list. Failing that, skip pasta, specialties, combos, and sandwiches at all costs. Split a pizza or a salad, or opt for the decent (relatively speaking) Factory Burger.

Not That! (pictured right)
Grilled Turkey Burger
1,200 calories
27 g saturated fat
1,544 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
The Factory Burger
730 calories
15 g saturated fat
1,016 mg sodium
The BEST Family Restaurants in America
Second runner up . . .
APPLEBEE'S
After years of stonewalling health-conscious eaters and Eat This, Not That! authors alike, Applebee’s has finally released the nutritional numbers for its entire menu. Unfortunately, we now see why they were so reluctant to relinquish them in the first place: the 1,700-calorie Riblets Platter, the 1,310-calorie Oriental Chicken Salad, and the 2,510-calorie Appetizer Sampler. The one bright spot is the new Under 550 Calories menu.

Survival Strategy: Skip the meal-wrecking appetizers, pastas, and fajitas, and be very careful with salads, too; half of them pack more than 1,000 calories with dressing. (Shocked by that stat? Take a look at this list of 20 Salads Worse Than a Whopper to see just how bad some restaurant salads can be.) Instead, concentrate on the excellent line of lean steak entrees, or anything from the laudable 550-calorie-or-less menu.
Don't Eat That! (pictured right)
Chicken Fajita Rollup
1,040 calories
60 g fat (29 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,280 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
Grilled Dijon Chicken
450 calories
16 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,810 mg sodium

First runner up . . .
ROMANO'S MACARONI GRILL
Before now, Macaroni Grill had never done better than a D on our report card, but an aggressive campaign to overhaul its entire menu has resulted in the most dramatic nutritional about-face we’ve ever witnessed. A handful of duds remain, but the majority of pastas, salads, and entrees have shed hundreds of calories or more, making Mac Grill one of the country’s best sit-down restaurants.

Survival Strategy: Besides a few outliers (pizza, pork chops, Mama’s Trio, cheesecake), this menu is relatively safe. Choose a spiedini, grilled salmon or chicken, or a pasta sans sausage or cream sauce and you’ll have enough caloric wiggle room to end the meal with a bowl of vanilla gelato. (For more great tips like these, sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter—free to your inbox every morning. Also be sure to follow me right here on Twitter for up-to-the-second diet and weight loss tips every single day!)

Don't Eat That! (pictured right)
Calabrese Strip with roasted potatoes and grape tomatoes
990 calories
23 g saturated fat
1,120 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
Aged Beef Tenderloin Spiedini with roasted vegetables
410 calories
4 g saturated fat
620 mg sodium

And the BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT IN AMERICA is . . .
RED LOBSTER
Compared with the other major sit-down chains and their four-digit fare, Red Lobster looks like a paragon of sound nutrition. The daily rotating fish specials, ordered either blackened or grilled, are the centerpiece of a menu long on low-calorie, high-protein entrees and reasonable sides. For that, Red Lobster earns the distinction of being America’s healthiest chain restaurant. The only real trouble you’ll find is when the fryer is involved.

Survival Strategy: Don’t fall for the health halo that surrounds all things seafood. While fish can be good for you, the way it’s prepared can make an otherwise healthy dish sink. Here’s the key to eating well at Red Lobster: Avoid calorie-heavy Cajun sauces, combo dishes, and anything labeled “crispy.” And tell the waiter to keep those biscuits for himself. You’ll never go wrong with simple broiled or grilled fish and a vegetable side.

Don't Eat That! (pictured right)
Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with rice pilaf
1,160 calories
58 g fat (12.5 g saturated)
2,600 mg sodium

Eat This Instead!
Peach-Bourbon BBQ Shrimp and Scallops with broccoli
585 calories
27.5 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,640 mg sodium

The Worst Restaurant Breakfasts in America

These foods are loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates, which catapult your blood sugar, sap your energy levels, and tell your body to store fat. Start your day this way and you’ll be ready for a second breakfast—and a nap—before 11 a.m. To help you avoid the morning mishaps, we searched out the good, the bad, and the greasy and uncovered some of the best and worst breakfast foods in America.
#6: Worst Breakfast Beverage
Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream (venti, 24 oz)
720 calories
27 g fat (17 g saturated)
103 g sugars
Pure black coffee is one of the world's most potent elixirs. In fact, research shows that a morning cup can help decrease your risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and type-2 diabetes. That’s good news, since 77 percent of U.S. adults over 18 years of age drink coffee on a daily or occasional basis. But here’s the problem: There's a big difference between an untainted cup of joe and the souped-up, sugar-loaded blends (this particular drink contains 26 scoops of sugar) that list coffee as one of the ingredients. And this Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha is the definition of caffeinated indulgence. You can switch to an equally delicious and refreshing drink (Starbucks has plenty, such as the caffe mocha, which is still coffee with chocolate in it, after all), and cut 520 calories in the process!
Drink This Instead!
Iced Caffe Mocha (16 oz, no whipped cream)
200 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
26 g sugars

Bonus tip: Daily e-mails (or tweets) that contain weight-loss advice remind you of your goals and help you drop pounds, researchers from Canada found. I'm partial to the instant weight-loss secrets that you'll get when you follow me on Twitter here.
#5: Worst Pastry Breakfast
Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun
1,100 calories
56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)
47 g sugars

This isn’t breakfast—this is dessert. And an atrocious one at that. The only speck of nutrition to be found in the bun comes from the nuts. Too bad they’re coated in sugar. This dangerously bloated bun contains nearly an entire day’s worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. That’s as much as you’ll find in 8 White Castle hamburgers. The Cinnabon Stix below are far from a healthy breakfast, but they're better than nothing (albeit barely).

Eat This Instead!
Cinnabon Stix
379 calories
21 g fat (6 g saturated, 4 g trans)
14 g sugars

Bonus Tip: Improve your health and lose weight at the same time by adding these 10 Surprising Superfoods to your diet.

#4: Worst Scrambled Eggs Breakfast
Bob Evans Border Scramble Biscuit Bowl
1,028 calories
57 g fat (25 g saturated)
3,055 mg sodium

Bob Evans also offers a Border Scramble Omelet, which contains nearly 400 fewer calories than this overflowing biscuit bowl. The difference in is the bowl itself (several hundred calories of carbohydrate-loaded dough) and the cheese sauce—this biscuit bowl boasts a Queso sauce that no one in his or her right mind would consider a healthy topping. Instead of switching to the Border Scramble Omelet, however, cut another hundred calories by choosing the Garden Harvest, which is also loaded with vegetables.

Eat This Instead!
Garden Harvest Omelet
542 calories
38 g fat (17 g saturated)
1,762 mg sodium

Bonus Tip: Walking into a restaurant doesn't have to feel like a stroll through a minefield. Check out these Top Restaurant Swaps for Instant Weight Loss, ripped straight from the pages of the all-new 2011 edition of Eat This, Not That!

#3: Worst Breakfast Sandwich
Denny’s Grand Slamwich
1,320 calories
90 g fat (42 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,070 mg sodium

Word to the wise: If a restaurant menu item is named for its monstrous size, there’s not a chance it’s good for you. Words like “Grand” and “Big” and “Double” are all tip-offs: Steer clear of this Frankenfood at all costs. This ginormous breakfast sandwich comes with a day and a half worth of sodium, as much saturated fat as you’ll find in 42 strips of bacon, and the caloric equivalent of four and a half cheeseburgers from McDonald’s. 

Eat This Instead!
Veggie-Cheese Omelette
500 calories
37 g fat (12 g saturated, 0 g trans)
940 mg sodium

Bonus tip: For more freaky food inventions like the Grand Slamwich, check out our shocking list of the Worst Food Creations of 2010.

#2: Worst Pancakes
Friendly’s Apple Caramel Walnut Pancakes
1,540 calories
30 g fat (11 g saturated)
2,290 mg sodium

Friendly’s has one of the worst breakfast menus of any restaurant we’ve seen—we had to customize the “Eat This Instead” order below to make it even worth considering. Quick tip: When eating at Friendly’s, never order anything sweet or pastry-like, like these pancakes. No matter what you’ve ordered, you’re guaranteed at least 900 calories. And that’s before you get to the sides. For the best breakfast meal, choose protein-rich foods, like eggs, and skip all sugar- and carbohydrate-laden sides, like toast, muffins, or pancakes.

Eat This Instead!
Super Sizzlin’ Bacon Combo (with 3 scrambled Egg Beaters, hold the toast)
570 calories
29 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,310 mg sodium

Bonus tip: Most people wouldn’t assume pancakes are a healthy choice. But what about those who are trying to eat healthy and end up with a plate full of calories and fat? To see how that’s entirely possible, check out our list of 20 Salads Worse Than a Whopper.

#1: The Worst Breakfast in America
Cheesecake Factory French Toast Napoleon
2,460 calories
61 g saturated fat
1,769 mg sodium
246 g carbohydrates

The Cheesecake Factory never fails to amaze us. This outrageous restaurant consistently earns the title of “Worst” on nearly every list we create. Their French Toast Napoleon is no exception—it contains well over a day’s worth of calories (that’s about the equivalent of 19 bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, to give you some idea). It also has 61 grams of saturated fat (three times your daily limit). The only saving grace here is that not all of Cheesecake’s breakfast items are inedible. You’ll be safe if you stick to the healthy (and healthy sounding) scramble, below.

Eat This Instead!
Shiitake Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Scramble
570 calories
16g saturated fat
994 mg sodium
13 g carbohydrates

6 Worst Coffee Drinks

#6: Worst Chocolaty Coffee Drink
Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
520 calories
23 g fat (14 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
350 mg sodium
68 g sugars

Talk about double trouble. Within this chocolate calamity lurks three-quarters of your recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and as much sugar as you’ll find in 10 Rainbow Popsicles! Slash your calorie intake by switching to skim milk and cutting out the whipped cream. Knock the size down to a grande, and switch from the frappe to an iced mocha, and you’re looking at a drink with 350 fewer calories than when you started. Make a switch like that every single day, and you’ll lose about 6 pounds in two months!

Drink This Instead!
Grande Iced Caffe Mocha with Skim Milk (No Whipped Cream)
170 calories
2.5 g fat (0 g saturated, 0 g trans)
80 mg sodium
26 g sugars

#5: Worst Seasonal Coffee Drink
Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Gingerbread Latte (large)
450 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
290 mg sodium
68 g sugars

This holiday horror packs a whopping 68 grams of sugar (that's as much as in three and a half Twinkies!) and almost a quarter of your daily calories. (Hope you weren’t planning to eat much today.) To enjoy the same chilly gingerbread coffee flavor, simply swap the latte for iced coffee and drop down a size. Suddenly, you’re looking at nearly half as much sugar and a far more digestible 270 calories. (For more great tips like these, sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter—free to your inbox every morning. Also be sure to follow me right here on Twitter for up-to-the-second diet and weight loss tips that help you lose weight and feel great—without ever dieting!)

Drink This Instead!
Iced Gingerbread Coffee with Cream (medium)
270 calories
9 g fat (5 g saturated)
90 mg sodium
36 g sugars

#4: Worst Caramel-Flavored Coffee Drink
McDonalds Caramel Latte with Whole Milk (large)
330 calories
9 g fat (5 g saturated)
210 mg sodium
51 g sugars

This caramel confection hides an unhealthy dose of sugar and an unnecessary amount of calories. But don’t blame the caramel flavoring entirely. Choose the flavored cappuccino instead for a fat-free, lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternative that will hit your sweet spot just the same. When given the choice, always opt for a cappuccino over a latte—they’re made with less milk than lattes, which means they’re lighter, with fewer calories.

Drink This Instead!
Caramel Cappuccino with Skim Milk (medium)
190 calories
0 g fat
150 mg sodium
41 g sugars
 Bonus Tip: Sure, restaurants are turning their drinks into calorie-dense desserts. And you should see what they're doing with their apps and entrees. Don't miss—and don't go near—these 20 Scariest Food Creations of 2010!

#3: Worst  “Arctic” Coffee Drink
Cosi Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (12 oz)
434 calories
22 g fat (13 g saturated)
241 mg sodium
46 g sugars

This drink’s deliciousness is no excuse for its queasy dietary overload: as many calories as you’ll find in nine Chicken McNuggets, as much sugar as in three and a half bowls of Froot Loops, and as much saturated fat as in 13 strips of bacon. Get the same great taste with a quarter of the fat and 245 fewer calories by opting for an arctic latte instead. No need for all that superfluous chocolate—the latte is just as delicious without the extra baggage.

Drink This Instead!
Arctic Latte (12 oz)
189 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
124 mg sodium
34 g sugars
Bonus Tip: Coffee drinks aren’t the only ones hiding waist-stretching stealth calories; check out this shocking list of the 20 worst drinks in America.

#2: Worst Hot Chocolate Drink
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)
640 calories
28 g fat (19 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
330 mg sodium
60 g sugars

No one orders a hot chocolate and expects it to be anything but a dessert-like beverage. And certainly you should enjoy the occasional indulgence. But other times try this: Go with 2% milk and shave 50 calories. Cut the whip and trim another 70. Downsize to a grande and shed 120 more. Or swap to a cinnamon dulce latte, and cut out hundreds of calories while still indulging in a deliciously sweet treat!

Drink This Instead!
Cinnamon Dulce Latte (grande)
210 calories
0 g fat
135 mg sodium
39 g sugars
Bonus Tip: A quick way to save a ton of money each year: Make your own coffee. To discover the best packaged coffee in America, and every other all-star food by category, check out our definitive list of the 125 Best Supermarket Foods.

#1: The Worst Coffee Drink in AmericaCold Stone Creamery Lotta Caramel Latte, Gotta Have It Size
1,790 calories
99 g fat (62 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
175 g sugars
It may be coffee-flavored, but this latte shake is virtually unrecognizable next to your typical morning cup of Joe. It's simply a giant dessert drink disaster. This large shake has nearly a full day's worth of calories, as much saturated fat as you'll find in 62 strips of bacon, and you'll exceed your daily limit of trans fats in the few minutes it takes you to drink it. Oh, did I mention the ridiculous sugar load? (44 spoonfuls!) If you want a sweet, caramel latte taste, opt for the actual caramel latte at Cold Stone, not the shake. You'll cut more than 1,500 calories from your order!
Drink This Instead!Lite Milk Caramel Latte, Love it Size
250 calories
2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
34 g sugars

Worst Foods in America, 2010

The 20 Worst Foods of 2010 here


Worst Chinese Entrée
PF Chang’s Double Pan-Fried Noodles Combo (served with beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp)
1,820 calories
84 g fat (8 g saturated)
7,692 mg sodium

The human body needs about 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day to function properly. Anything beyond that could be unnecessary, and possibly put your health at risk. And sure, Chinese food is notorious for its high salt content, but few dishes we’ve seen come anywhere close to this number. It packs enough of the white stuff to meet your body’s needs for an entire week! And the rest of PF Chang’s menu isn’t much better. Stick with the Hong Kong Beef and plan to avoid the saltshaker for the next couple meals. (Or pick up the new Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals and save money and time while losing weight faster than ever.)

Eat This Instead!
Hong Kong Beef with Snow Peas
620 calories
28 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,852 mg sodium
Bonus Tip: Hidden salt bombs are everywhere. Don’t miss this indispensible slideshow of The 30 Saltiest Foods in America.

Worst Mexican Entrée
Baja Fresh Charbroiled Steak Nachos
2,120 calories
118 g fat (44 g saturated, 4.5 g trans)
2,990 mg sodium

If the full day of calories in this entree doesn’t ruin any of your weight-loss goals, then the 2 days of saturated fat almost certainly will. But if all that saturated fat doesn’t wipe out your waistline, then the 2 days of trans fat surely will. If the trans fat doesn’t wreak total havoc  . . . you get the point. Fact is, you could eat eight steak tacos and still take in fewer calories than what’s found in this plate of cheesy chips. Stick to two tacos and save nearly half a pound of body fat in one sitting. 

Eat This Instead!
2 Original Baja Steak Tacos
460 calories
16 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans)
520 mg sodium 
Bonus Tip:  Hungry for more hard-hitting nutrition facts, findings, and advice delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for the free Eat This, Not That! newsletter, or simply follow me right here on Twitter! You'll get insights like: The word "muffin" was invented so people wouldn't feel guilty about eating cake for breakfast.)

Worst Pizza
Uno Chicago Grill’s Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza (individual size)
2,310 calories
165 g fat (54 g saturated)
4,920 mg sodium

Congratulations, Uno! You lose! Again! In all the years we’ve been putting this annual list together, this caloric calamity has never budged—it's the worst pizza, year after year. There's simply no competition for this crusty, cheesy nightmare. With a day’s worth of calories, more than 2 days’ worth of sodium, and nearly 3 days’ worth of fat, they should call it the Classic Deep Doo-Doo pizza. Because that's where your diet will be if you eat it.
Eat This Instead!Cheese & Tomato Thin Crust Pizza (1/2 pizza)
420 calories
16.5 g fat (7.5 g saturated)
885 mg sodium 

Worst Breakfast
IHOP Big Country Breakfast with Chicken Fried Steak & Country Gravy
2,440 calories
145 g fat (56 g saturated)
210 g carbohydrates
5,520 mg sodium

Here’s the anatomy of a breakfast disaster: Take a 12-ounce steak, bread it, fry it, and then cover it with gravy. Then, on the side, drop three eggs and three buttermilk pancakes. Does it not occur to IHOP that this is actually three full meals that would weigh in at more than 800 calories apiece?

Eat This Instead!
Simple & Fit Turkey Bacon Omlette
420 calories
21 g fat (10 g saturated)
730 mg sodium
24 g carbohydrates
Bonus Tip: Remember the old saying "Milk: not just for breakfast anymore." Well, here are 20 foods that shouldn't be for breakfast, period. Check out this eye-popping list of the Worst Breakfasts in America!

The Worst Food in America
Cheesecake Factory’s Bistro Shrimp Pasta
2,730 calories
78 g saturated fat
919 mg sodium
141 g carbohydrates

No restaurant chain exemplifies America's portion problem more than Cheesecake Factory, where the average sandwich contains nearly 1,400 calories—more than three full meals. But the Factory doesn't stop at elephantine portion sizes; combine that with heavy-handed application of cheap cooking fats and the result are dishes like the 2,580-calorie Chicken and Biscuits and the 2,460-calorie French Toast Napoleon. However, it’s this relatively healthy-sounding plate of shrimp pasta that earns this year's Worst Food in America crown from Eat This, Not That!, delivering to your system more saturated fat than you’d find in three packages of Oscar Mayer Center Cut Bacon and as many carbs as you’d slurp down from 1½ cases of Amstel Light. Gross.

Eat This Instead!
Fresh Grilled Mahi Mahi
240 calories
1 g saturated fat
364 mg sodium
2 g carbohydrates

The Best and Worst Super Bowl Foods

Here's your guide to the Best and Worst Beers for gameday and beyond!
Worst Pregame Snack
6 Chicken Wings
592 calories
40 g fat (11 g saturated)
167 mg sodium
0 g carbohydrates

Going to a Super Bowl bash famished is like going to the supermarket on an empty stomach: It's a recipe for diet disaster. Your game day options will most likely include seemingly innocent chicken wings—which, in reality, contain more than a quarter of your daily recommended calories. And that’s before you dunk them in blue cheese! The better option: Eat a bowl of chili at kickoff—you'll save yourself 300 calories. Plus, it's the snack that pays you back. The protein and the fiber will fill your belly and prevent the mindless munching that football (and high-budget commercials) encourage.

Eat This Instead!
Bowl of Chili
287 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,336 mg sodium
30 g carbohydrates
Bonus Tip: Make sure this is the last time you’re surprised by how unhealthy chicken can be—don’t miss our slideshow of the Worst Chicken Dishes in America.

Worst Veggie Snack
Spinach Artichoke Dip (1/4 cup dip and 8 chips)
325 calories
19 g fat (9 g saturated)
625 mg sodium

Spinach ... good. Artichokes ... good. But most of what’s in that bowl is processed cream-based gunk, the kind that can make your arteries harder to work through than the Steelers’ linebackers. Remember, just because a snack contains vegetables doesn’t make it healthy. Swap it out for tomato bruschetta to cut more than 100 calories and nearly 80 percent of the fat.

Eat This Instead!
Tomato Bruschetta (2 pieces)
200 calories
4 g fat (1 g saturated)
230 mg sodium
Bonus Tip: Staying thin would be easy if the Super Bowl were the only day of the year filled with hidden gut-bomb foods—but unfortunately, it isn’t. Check out our slideshow of the 20 Worst Foods in America for meals to skip on every occasion.

Worst Cheesy Snack
Nachos (40 chips and 4 oz cheese)
1,101 calories
59 g fat (18 g saturated)
1,580 mg sodium

When it comes to fitness, there are two types of people: The Haves, and the Have Nachos. These little chips are nothing more than a delivery system for saturated fat, and offer nothing by way of redeeming nutrients. For your cheesy fix, take a dip in good old Goldfish, a healthy-snack standby for good reason: You can eat a whole school of them before getting anywhere close to the calories in nachos.

Eat This Instead!
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cheddar Crackers (55 pieces)
140 calories
5 g fat (1 g saturated)
250 mg sodium

Worst Chip Dip
Lay's Smooth Ranch Dip (2 Tbsp)
60 calories
5 g fat
210 mg sodium

Think laying a hand on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is tricky? Try walking into the supermarket and laying your hands on a healthy dip. Every time you take a dip at this ranch, you're scooping up a few grams of fat. Go with Ortega's Thick & Chunky salsa instead. Just as big-screen TVs were made for football, chips were made for munching in large numbers. With no fat and only a sixth of the calories, this salsa is delicious, filling, and guilt-free.

Eat This Instead!
Ortega Thick & Chunky Salsa (2 Tbsp)
10 calories
0 g fat
170 mg sodium
Bonus Tip: Chips and dips can be as dangerous as a helmet-to-helmet tackle: Know what to avoid with our slideshow of the Worst Chips and Dips.

Worst Popcorn
Smart Food White Cheddar Popcorn (1¾ cups)
160 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated)
290 mg sodium

Smart food? I don't think so. This popcorn is coated in powdered cheese and covered with salt. The smart food choice here is to go with hot and freshly popped microwave popcorn, like the one from America's Best.
Eat This Instead!
American's Best Microwave Butter Popcorn (2 cups popped)
40 calories
0 g fat
80 mg sodium

Worst Potato Chips
Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream (about 11 chips)
160 calories
11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
230 mg sodium

More than one handful of this fattening finger food will really chip away at your diet. Swap for Baked Lays Original for 40 fewer calories and 90 percent less fat. You’ll even get to enjoy more chips per serving.

Eat This Instead!
Baked Lay's Original (~15 chips)
120 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
180 mg sodium

Best and Worst Valentine's Day Candy

Here's how to embrace the sweet (and still guilt-free) side of life:

Not That!
Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel Chocolate Squares (1 square)
73 calories
4 g fat (2 g saturated, < 1 g trans)
8 g sugar

These chocolates are troubling for two reasons: Aside from the fact that a single square has 73 calories, Ghirardelli uses enough partially hydrogenated oil to make eating three pieces—the recommended serving size—result in the consumption of 0.5 grams of trans fat, or a quarter of your day’s daily allowance. Candy heart: Okay. Candy heart disease: Not so good. Eat This Instead! 
Ghirardelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight Squares, 72% Cacao (1 square)
55 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
3 g sugars
FOOD SECRET: White chocolate isn't technically chocolate, since it contains no cocoa solids; it's mostly just fat and sugar. For more great food and health tips that shrink your belly and help you live better, make sure you follow me right here on Twitter or sign up for our FREE daily Eat This, Not That! newsletter.

Not That!
Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Almond Delights (1 piece)
90 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
6 g sugars

The problem with a box of chocolates—as Forrest Gump’s mother so aptly noted—is that you never know what you’re going to get. A few unlucky grabs could easily net you an extra hundred calories. It's worth consulting the map that comes with the box to avoid the Almond Delights. They're high in calories and laced with partially hydrogenated oil, unlike the Whips below.

Eat This Instead!
Milk Chocolate Chocolate Whips (1 piece)
53 calories
3 g fat (2 g saturated)
6 g sugars
Bonus Tip: Nothing ruins a romantic dinner like 2,500 unnecessary calories. Check out the Best and Worst Date Foods for simple swaps that will ensure you have room—and energy—for dessert.

Not That!
Lindor Mini Milk Chocolate Hearts (1 heart)
83 calories
6 g fat (4 g saturated)
6 g sugars

Here's an ominous sign: In the ingredients list, chocolate doesn’t make an appearance until five entries down, with sugar and vegetable oil snagging the top two spots. No wonder these seemingly innocuous little hearts pack such a big caloric punch. The Lindt’s chocolate bar below is made from flavonoid-packed dark chocolate and incorporates a bit of sea salt, which bumps the flavor profile up a notch and makes something already indulgent deliciously decadent.

Eat This Instead!
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate Bar w/ a Touch of Sea Salt  (1 square)
48 calories
3 g fat (2 g saturated)
5 g sugars
Bonus Tip: Everyone knows eating too much candy helps put your dentist's kids through college. But, truth is, many of your favorite foods are just as bad or worse. Check out our slideshow of 12 Foods Your Dentist Would Never Eat!

Not That!
Fannie May Cappuccino Truffle (1 piece)
140 calories
8 g fat (7 g saturated)
15 g sugars
This rich truffle has twice the fat and sugar content of a real cappuccino—without any of the antioxidants you'd get from consuming the actual drink. The Citrus Peels, however, make for a dynamic flavor profile when paired with chocolate. Not to mention, 99 percent of citrus-peel oils consist of d-limonene, an antioxidant that’s been shown to kill cancer cells. Now, that’s some delicious multitasking.

Eat This Instead!
Chocolate-Covered Citrus Peel (1 piece)
43 calories
2 g fat (1 g saturated)
5 g sugars
Bonus Tip: Did you know that a cappuccino is one of the healthiest coffee drinks you can order? Just make sure you don't drink it with one of these 20 Worst Breakfasts in America! Some of them have a day's worth of calories, fat, sodium, or sugar in one meal!

Not That!
Hershey’s King Size Valentine Marshmallow Heart (1 heart)
240 calories
7 g fat (5 g saturated)
35 g sugars

As a filling, marshmallow is preferable to heavier, higher-calorie options like fudge and nougat. However, eating a massive marshmallow by itself is not advisable. More than half of this mallow’s calories come from the huge load of sugar used to make it. Know what else has 35 grams of sugar? Two scoops of Breyers Rocky Road ice cream. You can do better.
Eat This Instead!
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Kisses (3 pieces)
60 calories
4 g fat (3 g saturated)
7 g sugars

THE #1 WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD:

WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD #6: Fazoli’s Garlic Breadsticks
1 breadstick
150 calories
7 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
290 mg sodium
20 g carbohydrates

These free, unlimited breadsticks are a signature part of the Fazoli’s dining experience. Folks seem to love ’em: Googling “Fazoli’s breadsticks recipe” returns more than 3,000 results. And at only 150 calories each, how bad could they be? Well, each breadstick is the caloric equivalent of more than 7 Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Kisses. Eating one is a sensible indulgence—but try to eat just one! Appetizers are often the downfall of a diet: To see my point, check out this eye-popping Eat This, Not That! list of the 10 Worst Starters in America.
WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD #5: Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
1 biscuit
150 calories
8 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat)
350 mg sodium
16 g carbohydrates

These Red Lobster staples come free with any entrée—and you can have as many as you want. Red Lobster’s website boasts of serving “almost 1.1 million” Cheddar Bay Biscuits every day. Add two of them to your Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp and your already-sizeable meal (880 calories) balloons to the caloric equivalent of more than a half-dozen Krispie Kreme glazed donuts! That said, keep far from Cheddar Bay, and Red Lobster is actually a nutritional safe harbor: Its menu is consistently one of the best in the country among chain restaurants. I'm always keeping my eye on the very best places for you to eat, and the often surprising places where hidden calories lurk. Get the scoop every day by following me right here on Twitter! or by signing up for the FREE Eat This, Not That! newsletter.

WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD #4: Ruby Tuesday Endless Fries
396 calories
18 g fat
1,389 mg sodium
50 g carbohydrates

If you order a burger at Ruby Tuesday, you automatically get fries on the side—with infinite refills. A bargain, right? Sure, for your tailor: He’ll be making a lot of extra dough letting out your pants. A  single side of the chain's fries has more calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger! That means every time you ask for a refill, you’re getting an additional visit from Mayor McCheese. And Ruby Tuesday doesn’t report saturated fat levels—a warning flag for those who like to know what, exactly, they’re putting in their bodies. In fact, two of Ruby's burgers make this Eat This, Not That! treacherous list of the 15 Worst Burgers in America.

WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD #3: On the Border Chips and Salsa
430 calories
22 g fat (4 g saturated)
52 g carbohydrates
460 mg sodium

Chips and salsa: Who could eat Mexican food without it? At On the Border, the answer should be you. This free starter has more calories than three White Castle sliders. That’s no way to start your meal anywhere, let alone at a restaurant where every single enchilada dish will cost you at least 1,000 calories. Good things come to those who wait: Eschewing the chips and sticking to your order will get you across this Border with less baggage around your midsection.

WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD #2: Denny's Unlimited Pancake Stack
Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple-Flavored Syrup (2 pancakes)
473 calories
4 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
1,196 mg sodium
103 g carbohydrates

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They don't say, “Eat as much as humanly possible for breakfast.” And yet you’d think that’s what Denny’s has in mind with this deal. Just two buttermilk pancakes will cost you more calories than four full servings of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Dark Chocolate Velvet ice cream—double or triple that, and you’ve ruined your diet for the day without paying a cent. The Denny’s press release announcing this promotion brags about the “value” they’re providing Americans: Not Americans who value their bodies! (If you're one of those folks, get easy, effective advice about foods to avoid--and the smart swaps you should go for instead to make the belly fat fall off--with the latest Eat This, Not That! 2011 book.)
Bonus Tip: Lose weight fast. Build muscle. Get out of debt. Whatever your resolution for 2011, here's your plan.

THE #1 WORST "FREE" RESTAURANT FOOD: Olive Garden Bottomless Salad and Breadsticks 
Garden-Fresh Salad (1 serving with dressing)
350 calories
26 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,930 mg sodium
22 g carbohydrates

Breadstick (1 with garlic butter spread)
150 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
400 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates

Worst Sandwiches In America

#7: Panera Full Italian Combo on Ciabatta1,040 calories
45 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,080 mg sodium
95 g carbohydrates

Panera is a classic example of a restaurant where it’s crucial to do your homework. Decently healthy options exist, but you’d better know what you’re looking for. Here's a shortcut: Stick to the “Café” category of the menu. If you swap the very reasonable Tuna Salad sandwich for the Italian Combo, you'll cut the calories nearly in half and the sodium by almost two-thirds. Eat This Instead!
Full Tuna Salad on Honey Wheat
590 calories
28 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,160 mg sodium
67 g carbohydrates
Bonus Tip: I'm on a mission to find the very best places for you to eat, and the often surprising places where hidden calories lurk. Get instant weight-loss, health and fitness secrets every day by following me right here on Twitter or by signing up for the FREE Eat This, Not That! newsletter.

#6: Blimpie BLT 12” Super Stacked
1,270 calories
82 g fat (18 g saturated fat)
2,870 mg sodium
84 g carbohydrates
BLT, indeed! Eat this and you'll be Bigger, Larger, and Tubbier. You’ll ingest more sodium in one sandwich than you should eat in an entire 24-hour period, not to mention a day's worth of saturated fat--the equivalent of 18 strips of bacon! Swap in the smaller BLT and drop the “Super,” and you’ve got a sandwich your belly will thank you for. There's another lesson here: Don't assume that if you double the size of a meal, you're doubling the nutritional qualities (or lack thereof). In this case, the 12-incher is overstuffed, so you're actually tripling the calorie, fat, and sodium counts! Yikes!

Eat This Instead!
BLT 6”
430 calories
22 g fat (5 g saturated)
960 mg sodium
43 g carbohydrates

#5: Red Robin All-American Patty Melt
1,315 calories
98 g fat
2,064 mg sodium
60 g carbohydrates

Ominously enough, Red Robin doesn’t report saturated fat levels—and this is an extremely fatty concoction, with a full day and a half’s worth of total fat. The only thing American about this sandwich is, sadly, the reality of our nation’s obesity epidemic. Avoid this caloric calamity and try the Natural Burger instead: You’ll cut the calories, fat, and sodium by more than half.
Eat This Instead!
Natural Burger
569 calories
24 g fat
989 mg sodium
51 g carbohydrates
Bonus Tip: Want to hear a secret? You'll eat 35 percent less if you keep the serving dishes off your dinner table! Amazing, right? You'll discover more awesome tips just like this one in our must-have list of the 25 Best Nutrition Secrets!

#4: Quizno’s Double Cheese Cheesesteak (Large)
1,450 calories
89 g fat (11 g saturated, 2 g trans)
2,890 mg sodium
93 g carbohydrates

Double Cheese? That’s your first clue that this nutritional nightmare is better fit for two people. Sneakily, Quiznos’s nutritional table lists the cheese and dressing for its sandwiches separately from the rest of the sandwich itself—despite the fact that, when you order, you’ll get all of it squished between the bread. Do the math, though, and this gut-busting cheesesteak will make you want to avoid Philadelphia entirely, with more than a day’s worth of sodium and fat and the caloric equivalent of more than seven Krispie Kreme glazed donuts. Switch to the Honey Bourbon Chicken for a third of the calories and a tenth of the fat. (Make an Eat This, Not That! smart swap like this one every other day to lose nearly a pound of belly fat a week!)
Eat This Instead!
Honey Bourbon Chicken (Regular)
520 calories
8 g fat (3 g saturated)
1,470 mg sodium
76 g carbohydrates

#3: Applebee’s Stuffed Meatball Sandwich
1,490 calories
77 g fat (31 g saturated fat, 2 g trans fat)
4,380 mg sodium
141 g carbohydrates

Meatballs can be a simple treat. Applebee’s doesn’t do simple: These meatballs are stuffed with provolone cheese before they're stuffed between the bun. If you think that’s crazy, consider the stats above. With more than a day and a half’s worth of both saturated fat and sodium, these meatball monstrosities should come with a defibrillator. Swap them for the Bacon Cheese Chicken Grill for less than half the calories, fat, sodium, and carbohydrates.

Eat This Instead!
Bacon Cheese Chicken Grill
740 calories
33 g fat (11 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,830 mg sodium
50 g carbohydrates

#2: Chili’s Jalepeno Smokehouse Burger with Ranch
1,780 calories
125 g fat (40 g saturated)
5,240 mg sodium
71 g carbohydrates
Chili’s burgers are like serial killers: Every one is evil in its own twisted way. This Ranch-drenched rascal will cost you almost two days’ worth of fat and sodium. In fact, this burger alone is the caloric equivalent of a dozen White Castle sliders! Finding a decent sandwich on the Chili’s menu is a needle/haystack affair, and it's hard to recommend a single Chili’s burger. Instead, go with the Grilled Chicken Sandwich for less than half the calories and a tenth of the fat.
Eat This Instead!Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/ Veggies
610 calories
12 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,270 mg sodium
78 g carbohydrates

THE #1 WORST SANDWICH IN AMERICA: Cheesecake Factory Grilled Shrimp & Bacon Club
1,890 calories
24 g saturated fat
2,964 mg sodium
125 g carbohydrates

The last time we checked on the Grilled Shrimp & Bacon Club, it clocked in at 1,930 calories. So the good news—if you can call it that—is that Cheesecake Factor has figured out how to lop off 40 calories. It's a start. Unfortunately, this sandwich is still the caloric equivalent of seven McDonald’s hamburgers. The truth is, this entire list could easily consist of Cheesecake Factory sandwiches. To make matters worse, the chain repeats a mistake of Chili’s—neither reports trans fat levels. But here’s the crazy thing about the Cheesecake Factory: Despite the all-star lineup of the worst foods in America, it's also home to one of the best sit-down burgers in the country. Choose the Factory Burger and cut your calories and sodium by more than half!
(Better yet, whip up a delicious 350-calorie cheeseburger yourself, in minutes, with the new Cook This, Not That! Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals book. You'll save time, cash AND calories!)

Eat This Instead!
Factory Burger
730 calories
15 g saturated fat
1,016 mg sodium
52 g carbohydrates

7 Desserts that Fight Fat

Best Scoop-Shop DessertCold Stone Creamery Tart and Tangy Plain Yogurt (Like It size with walnuts)
270 calories
13 g fat (1 g saturated)
24 g sugars

On its own, the Like It Size Tart and Tangy Yogurt has a mere 140 calories, making it the ideal base for a healthy topping of your choice. Fruit works fine, but walnuts usher in fiber and healthy fats, both of which work to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range as you indulge your sweet tooth.

Not That!
Oreo Crème Ice Cream (Like It Size)
440 calories
31 g fat (14 g saturated)
38 g sugars

Best Classic Dessert
Sonic Junior Banana Split
200 calories
6 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
22 g sugars

Whoever decided that banana splits should have three scoops of ice cream obviously wasn’t worried about body fat. So let’s agree right now: The only banana split worth eating is a single-scoop banana split. Thank you, Sonic, for giving us what we want.

Not That!
Banana Cream
Pie Shake (14 oz)
408 calories
29 g fat (20 g saturated)
77 g sugars

Bonus Tip: You know what’s more threatening than dessert? The soda you drink alongside dinner. But maybe you already knew that—check out the 20 Worst Drinks in America for some truly shocking waistline offenders.

Best Dessert Parfait
Ruby Tuesday Berry Good Yogurt Parfait
162 calories
3 g fat
26 g carbohydrates

The parfait is an entirely underutilized dessert. Ideally it should be a little sweeter than a breakfast parfait (this one is), yet still offer significant hits of fresh fruit, protein, and fiber (this one does). Order this in place of Ruby’s Italian Cream Cake and consider yourself 828 calories thinner.

Not That!
Italian Cream Cake
990 calories
56 g fat
108 g carbohydrates

Best Chocolate Bar
Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate Bar, 70% Cocoa (1/3 bar, 30 g)
157 calories
12 g fat (7 g saturated)
8 g sugars

It’s time to swear off milk chocolate. The dark stuff is a far richer source of epicatechin, an antioxidant that helps blood vessels relax, and studies show it migh reduce your odds of developing diabetes. After years of taste-testing dark chocolates, Chocolove’s Strong Dark still wins out—dark enough to corral cocoa’s benefits, yet sweet enough to taste like dessert. Discover more perfect foods like this when you sign up for the Eat This, Not That! newsletter. It's completely free. And if you subscribe today, you'll also receive our most popular download ever: Shop Once, Eat for a Week!
Not That!
Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar (49 g)
250 calories
17 g fat (7 g saturated)
23 g sugars

Best Shake
Wendy’s Jr. Original Chocolate Frosty
150 calories
4 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
22 g sugars

It seems like every year Wendy’s comes out with some new, tricked-out Frosty. There are now Frosty Floats, Frosty Shakes, and Frosty-cinos, and every one is worse than the original Frosty. Stick to the classic, and make it a “junior.” Up-sizing to the small will more than double the calories in your cup. Want to see what other restaurants have transformed your favorite foods into your belly’s worst enemy? Check this out: The Craziest Food Creations of 2010.

Not That!
Oreo Twisted Frosty
440 calories
14 g fat (7 g saturated)
55 g sugars

Best Yogurt
Chobani Strawberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt
140 calories
0 g fat
19 g sugars

With other flavored yogurts, “strawberry” amounts to little more than corn sweeteners and red dye, but on Chobani’s ingredient statement, fruit is second only to Greek yogurt—just as it should be. That fills your dessert out with more natural sugar and good stuff like vitamins C and A, which bolster your immune system while mopping up free radicals in your body. (While you're at it, strengthen your heart, fortify your bones, and boost your metabolism with our list of the 40 Foods with Superpowers.)

Not That!
Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free Strawberry
170 calories
1.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
27 g sugars

Best Caffeinated Dessert
P.F. Chang’s Mini Tiramisu
100 calories
11 g fat (5 g saturated)
10 g carbohydrates

Thanks to the arms race of oversized foods currently underway in America’s kitchens, proper dessert portions now come with qualifying terms like “mini.” So be it. Chang’s Tiramisu consists of multiple decadent layers, just enough to hit your sweet tooth and reward a good day of eating. Eat this instead of a slice of New York-Style Cheesecake and you’ll save 820 calories. Make a dessert swap like that three times a week and you’ll shed nearly 3 pounds every month.

Not That!
New York-Style Cheesecake
920 calories
56 g fat (36 g saturated)
92 g carbohydrates