The Cheesecake Factory is not known for serving health food. In fact, their giant portions can turn even healthy fare into things that you should think twice before eating. Many concerned with calories will ask their waiter to put half of the portion into a to-go box at the same time that the main course is served, which prevents the diner from overeating their pasta, salad, etc. The main thing to avoid there, unless you're not giving the least thought to what you eat, is the cheesecake. Although tasty, their massive pieces often have more than half of your daily calorie requirements. CSPI wrote, in their Nutrition Action Healthletter this month, that the Cheesecake Factory Godiva Cheesecake (pictured) has 1,000 calories and 41 grams of "bad" saturated fat. Unfortunately, they didn't enlighten the readers as to how much fat in total is in the cheesecake, but they did provide a colorful analogy to help picture just how bad it is: "it's like ordering a Pizza hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza - topped with 10 pats of butter - after dinner."
Yum.
If you're willing to toss your diet out the window for a few days (or want to share with a large crowd), you can order this cheesecake online. For a healthier cheesecake, try a vegan version or stick to a bite-sized tart that will give you portion control.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-03-2007 @ 3:53PM
wingerz said...
America's Test Kitchen just ran a segment on light cheesecaked (free registration required).
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2-03-2007 @ 3:53PM
Robyn said...
The slices in the restaurant are too big anyway. I don't really get it because the slices (of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake) served in Barnes and Noble and in the freezer case at Costco are more normal sized. Maybe the restaurant has reduced the size of its slice since... 5 years ago?
But yeah, the restaurant-sized slice I had made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack. I don't know if I could have finished it even if I skipped dinner first.
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2-03-2007 @ 4:42PM
wingerz said...
Sorry, the link didn't get included above: http://americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=2292&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7
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2-03-2007 @ 5:11PM
Laryssa said...
i didn't need to know that.
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2-03-2007 @ 5:45PM
J.Ho said...
I've been to the Cheesecake Factory several times in several cities. The menu is like 20 pages or something. Any place that has a menu that big can't possibly have good food. I think the Cheesecake Factory serves food that's not nearly worth the wait (there's always a line at the one near my office) or the cost.
However ... the Banana Cream Cheesecake is heaven on earth. I get a slice every four or five months. I could care less about the nutritional value when taken in at these intervals.
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2-03-2007 @ 8:53PM
Foodie Bride said...
That's actually my favorite cheesecake flavor but it's not the worst thing on their menu - an article came out last year describing how one slice of their carrot cake has upwards of 1500 cals. Of course, the slice they serve you is beyond huge.
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2-04-2007 @ 9:48AM
meeno01 said...
I just came from the cheesecake factory, and had that exact slice of cheesecake, it was a total mouthgasm, I could only eat half
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2-05-2007 @ 4:48PM
Miss Tiffie said...
Whatever.
When you eat cheesecake, you should expect a lot of calories. It's in indulgence. I'm sick of seeing lowfat, lowcarb everything, If you choose to eat something this "bad" then just let it be.
It's ok once in awhile :)
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2-06-2007 @ 1:31PM
Kim said...
Going out to dinner is a special occasion for most people - and ordering an indulgent dessert even more so. People usually don't eat like that everyday - and most people I know split or share one piece 3 ways.... what's the big deal!?! It's a treat... that's what dessert is all about. Enjoy it!!! It's all about balance....
-From a healthy, 120Lb, low cholesterol maintaining PASTRY CHEF!!!
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