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Our new monthly installment features a portion of the popular guide, Eat This, Not That! in hopes that it will help you make better choices at casual and fast-food establishments.
Two pieces of bread. That's the bedrock of every hamburger on the planet. Here's the caveat: With the power to create comes the power to inflate. In fact, the average cheeseburger has ballooned from 333 to 600 calories in the last 20 years.
Some burgers even top out at 2,000 calories. For this there's no greater evidence than the greasy bread-boats being served at our most popular burger shops. Sure, there are decent options out there, but more often than not the junk that comes stuffed between the buns is enough to turn Jessica Simpson into Homer Simpson. Like these five burgers listed below. They're gut bombs in the worst way. Luckily, Eat This, Not That! discovered healthier alternatives for each of them.
After the jump, an overview of the best -- and worst -- burgers in America.
The Worst Burgers in America
Ruby Tuesday Smokehouse Burger
1,219 calories
73 g fat
2,539 mg sodium
SODIUM EQUIVALENT: 94 Ritz Crackers
Here's a general rule when picking burgers: The bacon cheddar cheeseburger is never going to be the healthy choice, especially when it's a large and juicy patty like they serve at Ruby Tuesday. You're just adding too many high-calorie toppings to an already high-calorie glob of beef. Choose the sirloin steak instead to cut more than half the calories, but none of the deliciousness.
Oh, and if you think 2,500 grams of sodium is bad, wait until you see this list of the saltiest foods in America-and the dish that clocks in at more than 10,000 grams of sodium! (That means getting more than an entire week's worth of salt--in one sitting.)
Eat This Instead: Cowboy Sirloin
Uno Chicago Grill Bring Home the Bacon Burger
1,040 calories
76 g fat (30 g saturated, 2 g trans)
2,200 mg sodium
SATURATED FAT EQUIVALENT: 12 White Castle Burgers
Uno Chicago Grill is known for deep dish pizza-an obvious nutritional minefield. But the burgers are just as dangerous, as evidenced here by this bacon burger that comes with half a day's worth of calories, a whole day's worth of sodium, and the saturated fat equivalent of 12 White Castle Burgers. Once again, the sirloin is the best beefy choice.
Eat This Instead: Brewmasters Grill NY Sirloin
Cheesecake Factory The Classic Burger
1,440 calories
28 g saturated fat
1,635 mg sodium
CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 7 Original Glazed Doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts
It's called the Classic, but it's anything but. The Cheesecake Factory website describes this dish as "A Gigantic Chop House Hamburger." That doesn't sound particularly good for you, now does it? Cheesecake Factory's menu is littered with some of the most gut-busting items out of all chain restaurants across America. But the good news is that they also serve the very best sit-down burger in America: The Factory Burger, which keeps a lid on the calories, fat, and sodium.
Eat This Instead: The Factory Burger
T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Burger
1,590 calories
CALORIE EQUIVALENT: 30 Oreo cookies
T.G.I. Friday's is one of the last restaurants that still doesn't reveal full nutritional information. Based on the limited calorie data we've seen, we can only imagine that the rest of the dish -- the fat, the sodium -- must be astronomically bad for you. The Jack Daniel's burger suffers from a heavy sauce and giant proportions. Switch, once again, to the classic sirloin. It's a healthier cut of meat, and it'll cut nearly two-thirds of the calories from the dish.
Eat This Instead: Classic Sirloin
Like_the_Grand_Canyon, Flickr" type="image/jpeg">The Worst Burgers in America
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2-18-2011 @12:26PM cindy said... I object! You're calling them the worst burgers in America, but you're not interested in how *good* they actually are. If I want a healthy burger, I'll just stay home and make lentil burgers. I do that pretty frequently, but sometimes, a big, ugly, mess is a good thing. I wouldn't want to do that often, of course. Those aren't really *bad* burgers. Just misunderstood.
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2-18-2011 @3:01PM Smittea said... I kind of agree with what you said, although typically I would not add the obscene amount of salt that these four burgers have. One thing I have done over the past couple of years is just switch completely to buffalo meat for my burgers. Both Safeway and Giant in my area carry it. But when I want that pile of mouth watering pleasure out, I'll go for a Five Guys, Ray's Hell or The Burger Joint and I WONT read any nutrition info on any of them. :-D
2-19-2011 @8:26AM chris said... but theyre sooooo good the two coffees that i always get are bad too lol everythings bad for you now a days
2-18-2011 @3:00PM joan said... Ruby Tuesdays one of the worst resturants ever had the worst food ever so what did anyone expect the hamburgers to be. No wonder theire resturants have or are closing....
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2-18-2011 @10:23PM doug wilde said... hefners in cedarburg wis has the very best the meat s flavor is fantastic
2-19-2011 @9:04AM Deej said... I LOVE Ruby Tuesday's burgers but usually have to send them back to be cooked a little more. I like my burgers and steaks rare, but the last burger I got there was almost completely RAW! Also, who ever said burgers are SUPPOSED to be healthy?? Not me! I have recipes to MAKE several chain store burgers. Anyone wants them, drop me a line!
2-18-2011 @3:25PM sumskinnyguy said... Calories, fat, and sodium are DELICIOUS! Anytime I go to Ruby Tuesday's I get a Smokehouse, and I get it with extra bacon, a slice of swiss (along with the cheddar that it comes with) and extra sauce. If I go out to eat, I want it to taste good and RT has great friggin' burgers!
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2-18-2011 @5:39PM John said... How about you eat what you want to eat, and I'll eat what I want to eat. If I want a 10 pattie burger its nobody's business but my own what I put in my body, just like woman who murder there unborn child they have that right because its thier body. Oduma and his wife and the rest of the government need to get out of our lives.
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2-21-2011 @2:19AM ray said... What a stupid, stupid person you are. You use the word "there" wrong in the sentence, and then when you use it right, you spell it wrong. It's their. If you want you and your kids to be big, fat and disgusting, that's your choice you scumbag.
2-18-2011 @9:40PM Hattie Crabtree said... I prefer my own burgers at home.I like them thin with a slice of cheese and w/ a big slice of red onion ( with bbq sauce ).I've cut way back on eating bacon,something I could eat daily.:(The last single burger with onions,cheese and bacon I had was at Hardees a few years ago,lord it was good.
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2-18-2011 @9:40PM Hattie Crabtree said... Forgot to add,always have my burgers on whole wheat buns.
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2-18-2011 @8:27PM Mark said... Ever notice how the food that is the worst for you taste the best.
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2-18-2011 @8:27PM Larry W. Bruce said... My favorite burger is: Burgerville, Double Beef Cheese burger ! ! ! or as an alternate, Dairy Queen, Ultimate burger with cheese ! ! ! ---- if its quiet enough---------we can hear the cholesterol gushing thru my arteries.
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2-19-2011 @11:06AM t said... ME TOO! Only I ask for cheddar instead of american. they are sooo good
2-18-2011 @8:40PM Dick said... I like to make my own burgers but I love to save your "bad" list because I know that for a real treat, I can get these beauties. Sodium is not bad for most people. While some people have a sensitivity to salt, that is, in my opinion, no excuse to try to frighten most people with scare tactics. Obesity, which is not an epidemic, is caused by an imbalance in too much food intake and not enough exercise. This is a general rule and, of course, subject to exceptions. Eat a balanced diet and exercise and you'll be fine!! Thanks for reading this!
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2-18-2011 @11:28PM steve51704 said... Uh, Dick
You are way off base. You can clog arteries without being "obese" or even overweight. Obesity is, in fact, an epidemic now. Especially in younger people. Your observations are dangerously wrong.
2-18-2011 @9:32PM Coy said... I like Ruby Tuesday's and all burgers should be big fat and jucy and I don't like people trying to tell me what to eat
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2-18-2011 @10:22PM john said... no hurt the cows feelings/poor cows
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2-19-2011 @6:46PM buffalobeard said... People seem to forget that in the "old days" 60's and 70's, you might eat out at a burger jouint once or twice a week. It was never meant to be 7 days aweek, twicw a day.! Of course, in this "recession" I don't see how people can continue eating out like that; maybe it's the survival of the fittest. Those that eat 6,000 cals. a day will probably keel over before retirement age of 62 and leave enough money for me!
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2-18-2011 @10:47PM piggy said... I live in the San Diego area, and it used to be for a great burger you would head out to the closest Boll Weevil for a steerburger . But, a couple of years ago all of the franchises went away except for 4. Since then the quality and quanity has gone down, the mighty steerburger is horrible now. But, all is not lost. In April it will be one year since I've had beef, cheese, and mayonaize.....and I owe it all to the horrible burger I had at the Boll Weevil last April.
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