Worst Appetizers - Healthwise

**Saule** · 03-09-2010, 08:16 AM

Both the fat and the sodium counts are astonishing, take a look!

7 Worst Restaurant Appetizers

If this list doesn't make you hungry, then you're already ahead of most of us.

A funny thing has happened to America's restaurant appetizers, starters, and sides: They've started growing bigger than the main meals. It's now common for a diner to wolf down 500 or 600 greasy calories before even starting on the entree, or to find that amount sitting alongside an already-giant burger.

One might wonder where all the calories end up. The answer: our collective belly-fat supplies. Last year, obesity rates stayed constant in only 13 states, while the other 37 states saw an increase. This big fat growth—which stretches over 75 percent of America—is due in no small part to our propensity to eat full meals before we eat full meals. (It's not uncommon anymore to take in two days' worth of calories in a single meal at one of our favorite restaurants.)

Worst Seafood Appetizer

Long John Silver’s Breaded Clam Strips

* 320 calories
* 19 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 7 g trans fat)
* 1,190 mg sodium

The restaurant industry began to shift away from frying in partially hydrogenated oil 10 years ago. Now, Long John Silver’s is one of the few places left clinging to their trans-fatty fare. The word that should have set you off was “breaded”—it implies that the dish has been fried in oils, and in this case, those oils are packed with potentially heart-harming trans fats. Who wants to order fried seafood through a squawk box anyway? Luckily, Long John also serves up a number of dishes that boost good cholesterol, none better than the simple grilled fillet of salmon.

Bonus tip: Bad fats boost your cholesterol; too much sodium spikes blood pressure. Eat sparingly the foods on our list of the 30 Saltiest Foods in America.

Eat This Instead!

Lobster Stuffed Crab Cake

* 170 calories
* 8 g fat (2 g saturated, 0 g trans)
* 390 mg sodium

Worst Drive-Thru Side

Arby’s Large Mozzarella Sticks

* 650 calories
* 35 g fat (13 g saturated)
* 2,220 mg sodium

Fried cheese is never a good idea, but as a sandwich sidekick, it spells certain disaster. Anything with as much saturated fat as a Double Whopper should not be called an appetizer or a side. Arby’s menu presents a side dish conundrum, given that their entire roster of “Sides and Sidekickers” receives the deep-fried treatment. Best to skip over this section entirely. If it’s cheese you crave, order the French Dip ’N Swiss or Ham and Swiss Melt instead to save more than 300 calories.

Bonus tip: Avoid all hand-held disasters on this list of the 30 Worst Sandwiches in America.

Eat This Instead!

Martha’s Vineyard Salad with Light Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

* 330 calories
* 14 g fat (5 g saturated)
* 923 mg sodium

Worst Chicken Appetizer

Denny’s Buffalo Chicken Strips (5)

* 730 calories
* 32 g fat (0 g saturated)
* 2,940 mg sodium

Another example of how two seemingly similar items can be worlds apart in terms of nutrition. We’ve seen worse strips, to be sure, but when you can have a basket of wings for less than half the calories, why would you choose these? We’ve never seen a leaner wing than the ones from Denny’s. But like any good wings, they should be shared (especially with that sodium count).

Eat This Instead!

Buffalo Wings (9)

* 300 calories
* 21 g fat (5 g saturated)
* 1,940 mg sodium

Worst “Healthy” Starter

P.F. Chang’s Chicken Noodle Soup

* 600 calories
* 20 g fat (5 g saturated)
* 2,550 mg sodium
* 75 g carbohydrates

Researchers from Penn State found that starting dinner with a bowl of soup can cut calorie intake over the course of the meal by up to 20 percent. But when you start dinner with over 100 percent of your daily sodium allotment, why bother going on? It’s the best part about getting sick: the promise of chicken noodle soup yet to come. Studies have shown it works, too, but no study could have planned on the torrent of sodium that swirls among Chang’s noodles. Experts recommend capping your daily sodium intake at 2,400 milligrams. Any more than that can put you at an increased risk for heart disease over time, not to mention swell you up with retained water. Unfortunately, all Chang’s soups suffer a similar fate. Your only choice is to swap out your bowl for a smaller cup.

Bonus Tip: One of the biggest secret sources of calories in our daily diets comes in liquid form. For 12 terrifying examples, check out The Worst Beverages in the Supermarket.

Eat This Instead!

Egg Drop Soup (cup)

* 61 calories
* 3 g fat (0 g saturated)
* 640 mg sodium

Worst Dip Appetizer

Chili’s Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Chips

* 1,130 calories
* 90 g fat (39 g saturated)
* 2,460 mg sodium

Sure, there are artichokes and spinach in this dip, but they are drowned in cheese and mayo. These nutrition numbers are just for one serving—the plate, which you may easily plow through, surely has more than one serving. Opt for an app that doesn’t test your self-control, like the eggrolls. With about half the fat and sodium, they are one of the safest items on Chili’s appetizer menu.

Bonus Tip: Not all restaurant food is bad for you. See exceptionally tasty examples on our list of the 20 best restaurant foods in America.

Eat This Instead!

Triple Dipper Southwestern Eggrolls with Avocado Ranch (2 each)

* 640 calories
* 42 g fat (10 g saturated)
* 1,400 mg sodium

Worst Potato Side

Dairy Queen Chili Cheese Fries

* 1,240 calories
* 71 g fat (28 g saturated, 0.5 g trans fat)
* 2,550 mg sodium

This is DQ’s real Blizzard. You can almost feel your blood pressure rise just looking at this catastrophe. Too bad it’s listed as a side, gobbling up an entire day’s worth of sodium and half a day’s calories before you move on to your burger. This one’s a no-brainer: chili, cheese, fried potatoes. But even a savvy eater couldn’t possibly anticipate how bad these three ingredients could be when combined by one heavy-handed fast-food company. Stick with classic ketchup and recapture 930 calories.

Eat This Instead!

French Fries (regular)

* 310 calories
* 13 g fat (2 g saturated)
* 640 mg sodium

Worst Appetizer in America

On the Border Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos with Chili Con Queso

* 1,950 calories
* 134 g fat (36 g saturated)
* 6,540 mg sodium

Tex-Mex cooks are never shy with the salt, but this dish breaks even their reckless boundaries. Each little cheese-stuffed popper contains more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Appetizers are the most problematic of most chain-restaurant menus. That’s because they’re disproportionately reliant on the type of cheesy, greasy ingredients that catch hungry diners’ eyes when they’re most vulnerable—right when they sit down. Seek out lean protein options like grilled shrimp skewers or ahi tuna when available; if not, simple is best—like chips and salsa.

Eat This Instead!

Chips and Salsa

* 430 calories
* 22 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
* 440 mg sodium

URL: 7 Worst Restaurant Starters - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Nutrition

By David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men's Health

**Russ** · 03-09-2010, 08:28 AM

I think this thread belongs in the healthy lifestyle forum.

Good article I guess, but it makes me feel bad because some of my favorites are under "the worst" category.

**stinkbug** · 03-09-2010, 08:39 AM

None of those thing sound good to me at all...but I don't like anything fried....or slathered in goo. I never order appetizers, since we VERY rarely eat out.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 03-09-2010, 11:13 AM

That's so gross!

See, this is why I love homemade appetizers. My carrot sticks and homemade dip or my shrimp and homemade cocktail sauce are way better than any of those.

**Saule** · 03-09-2010, 10:27 PM

I think the one that bothered me is the chicken soup. The amount of sodium is just astonishing. I use little salt at home, so I do expect things to taste a little salty when I eat out, but that was just outrageous. I also tend to avoid the fried things, but it was a bit of a shock to see the french fries as a healthier alternative!

(Sorry I posted in the wrong place, still learning my way around).