Fast food may be convenient for your time, but not for your health. These restaurants combine highly processed foods with a ton of calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and sugar to make an easy, inexpensive meal.
While they may be good in the moment, these foods end up costing you later. We recommend skipping the drive-through and preparing some food for your long car rides. But if you’re in a rush or feeling lazy, here are the 12 most unhealthy fast food items you should never order.
Arby’s: Meatball Toasted Sub – 1,000 calories
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Arby’s, they have the (most caloric) meats.
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Bojangles’: 3-Piece Dinner (leg and two thighs) – 1,470 calories
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A dinner of thighs and leg might cost you an arm and a leg, health-wise at least.
Burger King: The Triple Whopper – 1,160 calories
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This burger alone contains 1,160 calories – almost as many calories as the daily recommended amount. This outrageous amount of calories comes with 75g of fat, 1,050mg of sodium, and two full days’ worth of trans fat. Speaking of fat, if you want to have less of it on your body, definitely avoid this food.
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Carl’s Jr: Double $6 Burger – 1,522 calories
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That’s about 254 calories per dollar. So not a very good deal.
Chick-Fil-A: Cookies & Cream Hand-Spun Milkshake – 660 calories
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Once again proving you’re better off eating more chicken.
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Dairy Queen: Large Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard – 1,320 calories
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Unless you’re hibernating for the winter with this blizzard, no one needs to consume that many calories at once. If you’re REALLY having a craving, try this dessert hummus that will satisfy all your cookie dough needs.
In-N-Out: Double-Double with Onion – 670 calories
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Maybe just stick to one double? We know In-N-Out is hard to resist.
KFC: Chicken Pot Pie – 790 calories
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Ironically, this chicken pot pie is the one item at KFC that contains vegetables and is not deep fried. However, it is still the worst thing on the menu for you. With 790 calories in it and a day’s worth of sodium, it’s best you leave the pot pie cooking to your grandma.
McDonald’s: Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (32oz) – 1,160 calories
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That must be one thick shake.
Moe’s Southwest Grill: The Homewrecker with Steak – 959 calories
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With three major sources of fat (cheese, sour cream and guacamole) and three major sources of carbs (tortilla, rice and beans), this 959 calorie burrito is more of an ab-wrecker than it is a homewrecker.
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Panera: Italian Combo Sandwich on Ciabatta – 1,000 calories
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This sandwich combines four types of meat that make this lunchtime classic’s calorie, fat and sodium content sky high. Skip the fast food and make your own meat lover’s sandwich at home; your blood pressure and waistline will thank you.
Pizza Hut: Meat Lover’s 6″ Personal Pan Pizza – 890 calories
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Learn to be a fighter, not a lover at Pizza Hut.
Popeye’s: Shrimp Po’ Boy – 690 calories
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With a day’s worth of salt and half a day’s worth of trans fat, it might be better for you to skip the sandwich altogether and try this shrimp recipe at home.
Photo by Hannah Rote
Sonic: Large Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dream Master Blast – 2,300 calories
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It’s best that you keep this dream master blast from turning into a reality. This drink has more fat than 43 strips of pan-fried bacon, more calories than 29 chocolate chip cookies and more sugar than 7 Snickers bars. My advice: eat a strip of bacon, a Snickers bar and a few cookies instead of one diabetes-inducing shake.
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Starbucks: Venti Eggnog Latte – 630 calories
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While the holiday season has been known to bring a few pounds with it, the combination of eggnog and whole milk can really add up. With 630 calories, 28g of fat, 74g of carbs, and 68g of sugar, it’s best that you pass up this festive beverage this season. If you don’t want to give up your holiday tradition, opt for low-fat or skim milk to help you save some calories.
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Subway: Double Meatball Marinara – 860 calories
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In this case, two is not better for you than one.
Taco Bell: XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito – 860 calories
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With 2,200mg of sodium, this burrito allows you to hold a days worth of salt in just one hand. Fast food is unhealthy enough as is, so avoid an “XXL” serving of it at all costs.
Wendy’s: Dave’s Triple – 1,070 calories
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One’s company and two’s a crowd, but three is definitely not a party with this 1,070 calorie burger. Unless, of course, you call an impending heart attack a party. With two days’ worth of trans fat, it’s best you opt for just one patty wrapped in lettuce; your heart will thank you later.
Whataburger: Chop House Cheddar Burger – 1,110 calories
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You could chop (house) this burger as many times as you want, it’d still be unhealthy. Maybe check out how to eat a meal under 500 calories at all your favorite fast food joints instead.
White Castle: Large Chocolate Shake – 1,020 calories
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Stick to the burgers at White Castle, they’re (shockingly) less caloric than the shakes.