‘Nutritional Nightmares': Xtreme Eating Awards ‘Dishonors' Calorie-Filled Foods

Center for Science in the Public Interest highlights a few dishes in particular that may be very tasty, but are high in calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar

Most people won't consider eating five bacon double cheeseburgers from Burger King, but that's the calorie equivalent of one Buffalo Wild Wings Cheese Curd Bacon Burger with fries.

That's just one of the "nutritional nightmares" the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest has called out in its latest Xtreme Eating Awards.

The annual awards "dishonors" chain restaurant meals that exceed the recommended daily allowances of calories (2,000), sodium (2,300 mg), saturated fats (20 g) and added sugar (50 g).

"These meals are extreme, but even the typical dishes served at restaurants are a threat to Americans' health because they increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and more," CSPI Senior Nutritionist Lindsay Moyer said in a statement.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act included provisions requiring calorie counts on the menus and menu boards of chains with 20 or more outlets. The Food and Drug Administration had scheduled the rules to go into effect on May 5 of this year. But less than a week before that deadline, lobbyists for pizza chains, supermarkets, and convenience stores convinced the Trump administration to delay the implementation date.

The decision prompted the CSPI to confer its first-ever Xtreme Putting Profits Before Public Health Award to Domino’s Pizza — the loudest industry voice opposing calorie labeling.

"Who cares about the obesity and diabetes epidemics, as long as the cash keeps rolling in to one of the nation’s premier purveyors of white flour and cheese?" the group said in a news release.

From the belt-busting Carnivore Pizzadilla to the caloric Flying Gorilla cocktail milkshake, here are some of the worst offenders of 2017.

Worst Cheese in a Leading Role: Buffalo Wild Wings' Cheese Curd Bacon Burger

A regular burger with deep fried cheese curds, bacon, American cheese, and something called “cool heat sauce,” Buffalo Wild Wings’ cheese curd bacon burger comes with a side of fries and contains 53 g of saturated fat and 1,950 calories, according to CSPI.

Worst Visceral Effects: Chili’s Ultimate Smokehouse Combo

A sort of create-your-own-adventure meal, Chili’s Ultimate Smokehouse Combo contains a little bit of everything. Diners choose three meat from a list that includes BBQ chicken breast, jalapeño-cheddar smoked sausage, battered Chicken Crispers, or a half rack of baby back ribs, plus four sides.  That's 2,440 calories, 41 g of saturated fat and a ridiculous 7,610 mg of sodium. While CSPI notes that this meal contains enough sodium for nearly four days, it is also possible that the sheer quantity of this meal could last for the same amount of time. 

Least Original Breakfast: IHOP Cheeseburger Omelette With Pankcakes

IHOP’s cheeseburger omelette is loaded with chunks of ground beef, hash browns, tomatoes, onions, American cheese, and topped with ketchup, mustard and pickles and comes with a stack of buttermilk pancakes on the side. The meal contains just about an entire day's worth of calories (1,900) and added sugar (44 g), plus double the amount of saturated fat (45 g) and sodium (4,580 mg), and a whopping three-days worth of cholesterol (1,005 mg). As CSPI notes, “it’s the equivalent of eating four McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffins drizzled with two tablespoons of syrup.”

In a statement, an IHOP spokesperson said that while it applauds the CSPI's efforts, "it's misleading to single out the highest meal combinations without informing people of the wide range of choices offered at our restaurants that meet a variety of dietary needs. Our commitment is to offer guests flavorful, inventive all-day breakfast dishes that can be enjoyed as they see fit - whether it's every day or occasionally depending on how they choose to live a balanced lifestyle."

Worst Adapted Pasta: The Cheesecake Factory Pasta Napoletana

The Cheesecake Factory, which has appeared on the list every year since it began in 2007, is on the list this time twice: for worst cocktail for its Flying Gorilla, and worst pasta dish for the Pasta Napoletana.

How do you turn a meat lover’s pizza into a pasta? Start with a mountain of spaghetti, then heap it with Italian sausage, pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, butter and cream, of course. The Cheesecake Factory's Pasta Napoletana is like eating a Pizza Hut Meat Lover's Personal Pan Pizza, but with an additional cup of pasta and a cup of heavy cream,  the CSPI says.

"With more than 250 menu items, The Cheesecake Factory has always been about choices," said spokeswoman Aletha Rowe, in a statement to NBC. "Many of our guests come in and want to celebrate and not be concerned with calories. Others want to share their dish - and we love it when guests share - that's a great sign that our portions are generous - and a large percentage of our guests take home leftovers for lunch the next day."

"For our calorie conscious guests we have our award-winning SkinnyLicious menu featuring nearly 50 delicious choices with 590 calories or less - which is actually larger than many restaurants entire menus," Rowe added.

Worst Original Appetizer: Dave & Buster’s Carnivore Pizzadilla

What’s the most calorie-dense portmanteau of a food item imaginable? The award goes to Dave & Buster’s Carnivore Pizzadilla. The 12-inch pizza quesadilla hybrid with cheese, pepperoni, and Italian sausage. The dish packs 67 grams of saturated fat and 4,700 mg of sodium, the equivalent of 100 slices of pepperoni layered atop two Taco Bell Cheese Quesadillas or half a stick of butter melted over three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with Cheese, the CSPI said.

Most Damage From Supporting Vegetable: Texas Roadhouse Prime Rib, Loaded Sweet Potato, Ceasar Salad

The Texas Roadhouse’s Loaded Sweet Potato was voted worst side at (770) and comes covered in marshmallows and caramel sauce. It's one of two sides diners can get with the 16 oz prime rib (1,570). Add a Caesar salad as your second side, and it’s like eating two of the chain’s 12 oz. New York strip steak dinners, according to the CSPI.

"We are proud of our made-from-scratch food and the vast menu options that we offer our guests," a Texas Roadhouse spokesperson said in a statement to NBC. "We also list calories on our menu and online, which allows our guests to choose what they feel is best for them."

Most Ridiculous Ending: Uno Pizzeria & Grill Ridiculously Awesome, Insanely Large Chocolate Cake

Truly both awesome in the literal sense of the word and insane in the colloquial one, a slice of Uno Pizzeria’s “Ridiculously Awesome, Insanely Large Chocolate Cake” weighs over a pound and contains an estimated 168g of sugar and 1,740 calories, according to CSPI. And while it may be appealing to hard core chocolate lovers, this confection is not for the faint of heart, literally.

NBC's Danielle Abreu contributed to this story.

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