Avoid These Unhealthy Fast-Food Items to Help You Lead a Healthier Life
No nutritionist or dietician is ever going to suggest that you eat fast food, but even they would likely be shocked at the nutritional value (or rather, the lack thereof) of some of these food items.
Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Basket
For a huge, multinational restaurant chain with the word “dairy” in its name, Dairy Queen sure does sell a lot of meat and other non-dairy products! While you could probably make the case for any one of their food items to make this list, their Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Basket is probably the worst offender, thanks to its truly absurd 3,570 mg of sodium.
Big Breakfast With Hotcakes
The McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes probably doesn’t seem like the unhealthiest thing the chain has ever come up with, at least on paper. Featuring breakfast staples like scrambled eggs and a sausage patty, what really puts it over the edge is the amount of salted butter and syrup used for its hotcakes.
Bone‑in Wings
Besides burgers and pizzas, wings are probably one of the most popular fast-food items, so it makes sense that a huge name like Popeyes would include them on its own menu. While certainly delicious thanks to their flavorful blend of chili, garlic, and ginger, these are pure fat bombs with up to 98 mg of fat in one serving.
Big Bacon Classic Triple
Hopefully, the potential health risks that Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic Triple pose are obvious even at a first glance. Featuring three meaty patties and three large strips of bacon, the Big Bacon Classic Triple has over 86 g worth of fat, and 36 g of saturated fat. In other words, it’s a heart attack just waiting to happen.
Bacon King
Like the previous entry, Burger King’s Bacon King burger feels unhealthy just to look at. It features two large patties instead of three and a portion of streaky smoked bacon. If you didn’t have heart problems before, you probably do now!
Five Guys Cheeseburger
Despite being a relatively young company (at least in comparison to many of the other big chains), Five Guys has enjoyed plenty of success in the years since their founding, with President Obama himself claiming to love their food. Of course, we don’t know how he’d feel once he finds out that the average Five Guys cheeseburger features 984 calories, 26.5 g saturated fat, and 1,050 mg sodium, making it one of the unhealthiest burgers ever.
Five Guys Fries
Unfortunately for Five Guys - (or rather, the people who eat at Five Guys) - their fries aren’t much better than their burgers. While certainly delicious and, dare we say, moreish, Five Guys fries are high in saturated fat, calories, and sodium, and have been regularly identified as the unhealthiest fries across every major chain. Ouch.
Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki
This one hurts to include here. Subway’s Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki may very well be the best item on their menu. The synergy between the sweet onion sauce and teriyaki-flavored glaze on the chicken is to die for. Unfortunately, we mean that in a very literal sense here since the sandwich packs a whopping 1,390 mg of sodium.
Chicken Pot Pie
Compared to some of the other items on this list, the Chicken Pot Pie from KFC has one thing going for it: it actually includes vegetables. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to offset the item’s 720 calories, 25 g of saturated fat, and 1,750 mg of sodium that make it so unhealthy.
Turkey, Ranch & Bacon Sandwich
One thing we hope you take away (pun intended) from this list is that one type of meat is often unhealthy enough; once you start throwing two types of meat together, your health is, well, cooked. The Turkey, Ranch & Bacon Sandwich from Arby’s - in addition to both turkey and bacon - includes 810 calories, 35 g of fat, and 2,520 mg of sodium.
Beef Burrito Supreme
Compared to every other item on this list, the Beef Burrito Supreme from Taco Bell features a (relatively) low calorie count of just 390. Contrast that with the 984 calories found in a Five Guys cheeseburger. Unfortunately, the low calorie count doesn’t reduce the effects of its high sodium levels.
Personal Meat Lover’s Pizza
Don’t be mistaken: we love meat, too, despite our reservations about some of the items on this list. The Personal Meat Lover’s Pizza from Pizza Hut is, unfortunately, yet another heart attack-in-the-making, featuring at least five different meat products that pack 740 calories, 38 g of fat, and 1,600 mg of sodium.
Oreo Cookie Chocolate Shake
Of course, fast food also encompasses desserts and drinks, too. One of the most delicious drinks you’ll come across at Burger King is their Oreo Cookie Chocolate Shake - unfortunately, it’s also one of their unhealthiest drink/dessert options, too.
Large Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is a staple meal for many people all over the world, so it’s rather dismaying that Panera Bread’s own take on the classic is so ridiculously unhealthy. While certainly tasty, their Large Mac and Cheese also features 960 calories, 64 g of fat, and 2,300 mg of sodium.
Large Frozen Coffee With Mocha Swirl
Dunkin’ Donuts’ entire brand is built on their delicious donuts and coffee blends, and the Large Frozen Coffee with Mocha Swirl is but one of many coffee flavors that could have made this list. However, what makes this one so ridiculously unhealthy is the sheer amount of fat and sugar that goes into its preparation, not to mention the staggering 870 calories.
Large Triple Thick Chocolate Shake
Of course, Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t have a monopoly on ludicrously sweet, unhealthy cold drinks. McDonald’s own Large Triple Thick Chocolate Shake is potent in its flavor, sure, but it also packs 1,160 calories, 26 g of fat, and 17 g of saturated fat into its cup.
Triple Whopper Sandwich
Burger King isn’t catching any breaks on this list. Their Triple Whopper Sandwich is creamy and delicious, yes, but do you really need that much sauce and that many patties? It’s essentially just a stack of unhealthiness, featuring 1,173 calories, 80 g of fat, and 1,300 mg of sodium.
SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger
What did we say about mixing different kinds of meat in a single food item? At least you know what you’re getting into with the aptly-named the SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheeseburger from Sonic: two beef patties and some crispy bacon combined to deliver 1,170 calories, 81 g of fat, and 1,940 mg of sodium straight to your bloodstream.
Nashville Hot Loaded Fries Bowl
One of KFC’s several bowl options that you can get for an admittedly reasonable $5 is the Nashville Hot Loaded Fries Bowl. The bowl includes coleslaw, five chicken nuggets, and Nashville Hot Sauce. And fries, obviously. Less obvious is the 910 calories, 60 g of fat, and 2,530 mg of sodium that comes with it.
Sausage Patty Breakfast Crunchwrap
Wraps aren’t your average breakfast item, but if it works, it works. The Sausage Patty Breakfast Crunchwrap from Taco Bell features eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, the whole shebang, as well as 750 calories, 49 g of fat, 1,210 mg of sodium to ensure that you start your day the wrong way.
The Beast Sub
Surprise, surprise - a food item called “The Beast” is one hell of an unhealthy nightmare. The regular 6-inch option alone features 740 calories, 44 g of fat, and 2,090 mg of sodium, and the footlong only makes it worse.
Chili Cheese Fries
For something that should be a side dish, the Chili Cheese Fries from Dairy Queen features all the nutritional “value” of a main dish, with 990 calories, 52 g of fat, and 2,280 mg of sodium.
Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple
Of all the unhealthy items on this list, none (save for one particular dessert dish that we’ll get to later) can match the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple’s calorie count of 1,520. Hey, if you’re going to be unhealthy, why not go all in? (Don’t do that).
Double Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
At the very least, the Double Sausage Breakfast Sandwich from Dunkin’ doesn’t look like some of the unhealthy monstrosities featured already. Still, with 900 calories, 54 g of fat, and nearly 2,000 mg of sodium, it could hardly be considered healthy.
Cobb Salad
Surely there’s no way a salad could be unhealthy, right? Think again: while it features plenty of greens, the Cobb Salad from Chick-fil-A has about 60 g of fat and 310 calories in its dressing alone.
Mozzarella Sticks
Despite being one of the world’s first ever fast food burger chains, it’s White Castle’s Mozzarella Sticks that really stand out. They’re delicious when paired with some marinara sauce, but they’re also incredibly unhealthy thanks to their high sodium and calorie content.
Half‑Pound Beef & Cheddar
Don’t be fooled by the term “half-pound” - that’s still a huge amount of beef for one person. That half-pound also includes 740 calories, 71 g of fat, and 1,980 mg of sodium.
Double Pulled Pork Tailgater
Messy but undeniably tasty, the limited-time Double Pulled Pork Tailgater from Smashburger was, well, a smash hit with critics, but nutritionists would probably suggest otherwise.
Royal Rocky Road Trip Blizzard
Dairy Queen’s Royal Rocky Road Trip Blizzard is probably one of their most popular items, and that’s saying something. Unfortunately, this is also the only item that can match the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple’s 1,520 calories with 1,510 calories of its own.
Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Featuring a huge chicken breast battered in buttermilk, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Popeye’s was bound to be an unhealthy nightmare, and that’s exactly what it is.
Dave’s Triple
Take a guess as to what the Dave’s Triple from Wendy’s features. Yup, triple the amount of patties, and triple the amount of fat, too. This is not a burger you want to eat if you want to keep your heart beating properly.
Jamocha Shake
If you’re obsessed with Arby’s Jamocha Shake’s sweetness, you can probably attribute that to the drink’s ludicrous 147g of sugar, not to mention its 1,055 calories.
Famous Bowl
What makes the Famous Bowl from KFC so famous? We can’t say, but we doubt it would be nearly as popular if its sodium content (about 2,350mg) was displayed right on the packaging.
Chicken & Bacon Ranch Wrap
Like the previous entry, the Chicken & Bacon Ranch Wrap may seem like it’s on the lighter side, but its shockingly high 2,000 mg of sodium would beg to differ.
XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito
You know you’ve entered professional levels of unhealthiness when your meals start having X’s in their names. The XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito from Taco Bell features plenty of processed ingredients and huge portions that will bust your gut - literally.
