By now, most of us know that if we want to maintain a healthy diet, we should stay far away from fast food restaurants. Most of these addictive and low-priced chains have a pretty standard selection of burgers or sandwiches, fries, and plenty of other sides, all of which are high in calories, fat, sodium, and lots of other stuff our bodies don't need in such large quantities.
We've shown you before that even if you ignore all the bad nutritional information, fast food is just not what we should be putting into our bodies. I mean, just look at what happened when these burgers were placed in a glass case for a month! Gross! And it's not just the burgers we should be worried about, either — even the soda fountains are teeming with bacteria, and some experts say that the ice that goes into your drink is even dirtier than toilet water.
Despite all the health concerns, many of us still need to satisfy a fast food craving every once in a while. But when that time comes, you should try to choose the lesser of all the evils. Check out the unhealthiest fast food restaurants in the country, and use the information to make smarter choices about where you go when you need to hit the drive-thru. Number 4 was once my favorite place to go, but after seeing how bad it is for me, I'm never eating there again!
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11. KFC
Although this popular chicken chain has improved their choices slightly by offering grilled chicken in recent years, that doesn't negate all the fatty, fried options they have on their menu. And let's face it: any restaurant that offers a sandwich with friend chicken replacing the bread is pretty much screaming that they aren't a very healthy choice.
10. Pizza Hut
If you order a medium pepperoni pizza from this chain, a single slice is going to set you back about 260 calories according to the restaurant's website… and nearly half of those calories will come from fat. Pizza Hut pizzas are also loaded with sodium, so if you're trying to take care of your heart, you'll probably want to look elsewhere to satisfy your pizza craving.
9. McDonald's
You'll be hard-pressed to find any solid food at this restaurant that's under 200 calories… and if you do, it probably won't be enough to satisfy your stomach. Even their "healthier" options such as salads and wraps are really just fat and calorie bombs in disguise — many of them are even worse for you than a cheeseburger!
8. Burger King
A study by 24/7 Wall St. showed that just about half of Burger King's meals have more than 1,000 mg of sodium, while over a quarter of their food choices have over 600 calories. Even their salads are all over 400 calories, and their Ultimate Breakfast Platter is a truly whopping 1,420 calories.
7. Chick-fil-A
If you're just hoping to get some of the restaurant's signature chicken sandwiches, you're in luck — their main courses are actually healthier than many of the leading fast food options. But the same can't be said for their side dishes, nearly half of which have above-average sugar content. The coleslaw alone contains 26 grams of sugar, which is about half of what you should be consuming each day.
6. Wendy's
Nearly 35% of your options at Wendy's are going to have at least 10 grams of saturated fat. And just like many fast food restaurants, even the salads at this chain are bad for you — their Apple Pecan Chicken salad packs 17 grams of sugar, making it more like a dessert than a meal.
5. Arby's
The fact that this chain restaurant is so high on the list might surprise some people, since they focus more on "traditional" sandwiches instead of the burgers that many other fast food joints sell. While Arby's does much better in the calories and saturated fat departments than other fast food restaurants, many of their food items have an alarming amount of sodium. Up to 75 percent of their menu items contain more than 1,000 mg of sodium, and just six of their mozzarella sticks contain around 2,530 mg of the stuff: over a full day's allowance.
4. Popeye's
It's pretty difficult to find anything on the Popeye's menu that isn't fill of calories, fat, and most of all, sodium. Even the sides at this fried chicken joint are jam-packed with salt, and a Shrimp or Chicken Po' Boy contains an entire day's worth of sodium.
3. Quiznos
Yep, this sandwich restaurant is even worse for you than most of the major burger chains out there. At least 21 of their sandwiches contain more than 1,000 calories, and about 62 percent of their meals contain more than 10 grams of saturated fat. When you consider the fact that over 85 percent of their food contains ridiculously high levels of sodium, it's safe to say that you should stay far away from this sandwich shop if you value your health.
2. Carl's Jr
As far as fats go, it's hard to find one that's worse for you than trans fats. Most companies have eliminated them from their foods altogether, and even fast food places rarely sell items that contain more than a milligram. But six of Carl's Jr's breakfast sandwiches contain six grams of trans fat. And of course, let's not forget that many of their burgers contain over 1,000 calories each.
1. Sonic
Sonic has 10 burgers on its menu with over 1,000 calories, and the average burger from the drive-in restaurant has about 780 calories. This fast food restaurant also has an unusual number of menu items with high amounts of trans fat, with nearly half of their options having at least one gram. Not surprisingly, their drinks and frozen treats are also packed with tons of fat and sugar as well.
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