Thirsty for 890 calories worth of margarita?
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Restaurants may be sprinkling their menus with healthier items, but their high-calorie, high-fat options are getting even worse, according to the seventh Xtreme Eating report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group.
"When we first started these studies [in 2007], we were shocked to see meals with 1,000 calories, but that has become the norm," Paige Einstein, CSPI's Project Coordinator and a registered dietitian, told BuzzFeed News.
To be fair, no reasonable human expects to save calories at an establishment called the Cheesecake Factory. But Einstein said the problem is that many consumers aren't aware of exactly how caloric a meal can become. She expects this will change when new FDA rules, effective this December, require restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to label calories on menus.
CSPI surveyed the menus of more than 200 restaurant chains. Here are some entrées, sides, drinks, and outlandish combos it highlighted for being abysmally high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar.
Red Lobster's Lobsterita (890 calories)
Guys, this isn't just a drink. It's a 24-ounce drink called a Lobsterita. The type of drink you might consume before a 2,700 calorie meal (see below) if one day you say, "screw it," and decide to abandon all self-control. Inside this glass of slushy, boozy sweetness is nearly half a day's worth of calories.
IHOP’s Chorizo Fiesta Omelette (1,300 calories)
IHOP's chorizo-stuffed, sour cream-topped omelette alone packs 1,300 calories, which is quite a way to start the day. But that's just part of the meal. It also comes with a choice of three buttermilk pancakes (410 calories), hash browns (280 calories), toast (at least 250 calories), or mixed fruit (60 calories).
An IHOP spokesman responded that it's "all about choice" and recommended that dieters peruse the menu for items under 600 calories.
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