log Restaurant Dishes on
the Your Wellbeing Health Portal.
Smart Indulgence #1: Smothered waffle
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IHOP Belgian Waffle w/ Cinnamon Apple Compote, Whipped Topping, and Bacon Strips (2)
580 calories
23.5 g fat (12 g saturated)
955 mg sodium
A modestly sized Belgian Waffle, with its porous, sponge-like density, is actually less dangerous than it seems. The real harm lies in two nefarious accouterments: butter and pancake syrup. Together, they burrow down into the waffles' hollowed pockets and turn each one into a little thimble of waistline destruction. The solution is simple: Find a better topping. IHOP tops this Belgian with a big scoop of sweet, caramelized apples and whipped cream—and the side slab of bacon, with its protein and fat, serves to slow the rapid digestion of fast-moving carbohydrates.
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Perkins’ Belgian Waffle w/ Blueberry Topping, Whipped Topping, and Bacon Strips (2)
835 calories
24 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,150 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #2: Ice cream sundae
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Dairy Queen Banana Sundae (Medium)
330 calories
10 g fat (6 g saturated)
42 g sugars
Not everything on Dairy Queen’s menu is so safe; the average large Blizzard weighs in at an astounding 1,158 calories. But this sundae isn't nearly so dangerous. Actually, a little ice cream is good for you. The calcium slows the absorption of fat, and each half-cup contains 17 milligrams of choline, a B vitamin that improves blood flow. Add to that a potassium and fiber-rich banana, and you have a pretty stellar snack.
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Cold Stone Creamery Banana Caramel Crunch Sundae (Love It/Medium size)
830 calories
45 g fat (23.5 g saturated)
75 g sugars
Smart Indulgence #3: Hamburger
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McDonalds’ Quarter Pounder
410 calories
19 g fat (7 g saturated)
730 mg sodium
Unscrupulous restaurateurs have sullied the hamburger's reputation with fat-heavy toppings like bacon, tortilla strips, onion rings, butter-infused truffle oil—basically if it's legal, they've put it on a burger. But the truth is, a simple, quarter-pound burger, free from the frills that turn into body fat, is actually quite harmless. Cheese adds another 100 calories, so you have to decide if that's worth the splurge. Otherwise, load on the ketchup and mustard and enjoy.
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Five Guys’ Hamburger
700 calories
43 g fat (19.5 g saturated)
430 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #4: French fries
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Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly Fries (small)
280 calories
16 g fat (1 g saturated)
614 mg sodium
Once Jack in the Box decided to cut the trans fat from its fries, the curly spuds suddenly emerged as a front runner in the low-calorie french fry battle. Plus, the saturated fat is admirably low, and the sodium load is partially offset by the fact that they also pack in 20 percent of your daily potassium.
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Arby’s Curly Fries (small)
450 calories
24 g fat (3 g saturated)
1,160 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #5: Steak
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Olive Garden Steak Toscano with Tuscan Potatoes and Bell Peppers
590 calories
20 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,460 mg sodium
Steak is actually a hotbed of veritable nutrients. It's loaded with zinc, iron, B vitamins, and—believe it or not—a respectable load of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. So it's unfortunate that most restaurants serve over-sized portions slathered with butter and oil. But with this dish, Olive Garden gets it right.
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Ruby Tuesday’s Chef’s Cut 12-Ounce Sirloin with Plain Baked Potato
1,023 calories
52 g fat
1,668 mg sodium
20 NEW TERRIBLE FOODS! Some restaurant foods have an entire day's worth of calories and several days' worth of fat and salt. Avoid this shocking Eat This, Not That! list of dietary restaurant disasters: The Worst Foods in America!
Smart Indulgence #6: Sausage pizza
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Domino’s Brooklyn Style Chorizo, Mushroom, Onion, and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza (2 slices, large pie)
520 calories
22 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,290 mg sodium
This pie isn’t the lightest on the menu, but it's certainly among the most flavorful. The smoky sweetness of the roasted peppers pairs perfectly with the spicy richness of chorizo to elevate the flavor far beyond what the calorie count would suggest. But be sure to stick with the Brooklyn Style crust. Surprisingly, it packs the fewest calories into each slice, cutting nearly a thousand calories per pie off the same pizza with a Deep Dish crust.
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Pizza Hut Italian Sausage and Red Onion Pan Pizza (2 slices, large pie)
700 calories
28 g fat (12 g saturated)
1,680 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #7: Fried Chicken
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Popeyes’ Loaded Chicken Wrap
310 calories
13 g fat (6 g saturated)
890 mg sodium
Fried chicken alone is a waistline liability, but it starts sounding especially dangerous when you fold it into a cheddar tortilla alongside a mound of white rice. So how does Popeyes' pull it off? By keeping the bad stuff in moderation and tempering the damage with fiber-loaded beans. For 310 calories, this wrap gives you 14 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. You could do far, far worse.
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Chick-fil-A Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap
460 calories
15 g fat (6 g saturated)
1,510 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #8: Stuffed seafood
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Red Lobster Stuffed Flounder
320 calories
11 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
1,520 mg sodium
When it comes to seafood, “stuffed” either means injected with fat- and carb-heavy fillers or infused with flavorful shellfish accouterments. Fortunately, Red Lobster’s flounder is of the latter variety. This hearty fillet gets a flavorful boost from crab-and-seafood stuffing, and it keeps the fat load shockingly low. Meanwhile, Outback’s version contains as much saturated fat as a quarter-pound of fried bacon and more sodium than a spoonful of straight table salt.
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Outback Steakhouse Fresh Tilapia with Pure Lump Crab meat
517 calories
28 g fat (15 g saturated)
2,474 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #9: Hot wings
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Kentucky Fried Chicken Hot Wings (5)
350 calories20 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
700 mg sodium
Wings are one of those foods that fluctuate widely between reasonable and ridiculous. Although the meat is relatively lean, the skin-to-meat ratio is extremely high, and cost-cutting restaurants typically prefer the deep fryer to the oven rack. But done right, wings can be a solid source of protein, and as an appetizer, they’re a good way to blunt your hunger before you start in on more damaging foods. Worried you’ll eat too many? Make them as hot as you can stand. That will keep you from devouring the full dozen, plus, in the hot sauce will boost your metabolism.
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Pizza Hut Crispy Bone In Wings Buffalo Medium (5)
575 calories
37.5 g fat (7.5 g saturated)
2,525 mg sodium
Smart Indulgence #10: Savory sub sandwich
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Blimpie’s Hot Pastrami Sub (6-inch)430 calories
16 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,350 mg sodium
Hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, and spicy mustard create a trio of robust flavors unmatched by any lower-calorie sub. Best part is, the damage is minimal. On the calorie continuum, Swiss trounces both cheddar and American, and the spicy mustard is a leaner, and more flavorful, alternative to mayonnaise. The only drawback is salt. Because it’s brined, pastrami is high in sodium. It’s totally worth the indulgence; just don’t eat it every day.
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Quizno’s Roast Beef (Regular)
750 calories
42 g fat (11 g saturated; 1 g trans)
1,755 mg sodium
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