If eating at the Cheesecake Factory is one of your favorite things to do and you are watching your weight, you might want to rethink your choice.
Or at least start walking. A lot.
The restaurant chain is the winner of a special XXXtreme Eating Award as it took three of nine spots on an annual Xtreme Eating award list this year.
"As usual it [Cheesecake Factory] could have taken all nine spots," notes a release from the nonprofit health-advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which runs the annual ranking of the highest-calorie meals.
"When we were screening candidates for the first Xtreme Eating awards in 2007, we were shocked to see 1,500-calorie entrées. This year, nearly all of our 'winners' hit (or just missed) the 2,000-calorie mark. And a few doozies topped 3,000 calories. You could take half home and still overeat," notes the organization's release. "The sad truth is that it's not hard to find Xtreme Eating winners. Virtually every chain has viable contenders."
The Cheesecake Factory won three awards; one was for its Bruleed French Toast (2,780 calories, 24 teaspoons of sugar and more than a day's worth of salt).
The American Heart Association recommends just nine teaspoons of sugar for men and six for women each day.
News reports claim the chain is not thrilled to be such a consistent Xtreme award winner and has adjusted dishes to avoid the list. Yet CSPI notes the restaurant's menu still offers a 2,400 calorie Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic meal (featuring three days worth of saturated fat) as well as a 1,500-calorie cheesecake slice.
"[They] may be tiring of the prize, but [the restaurant] is certainly making sure that The Cheesecake Factory remains the most calorically extreme chain that we've seen," said CSPI dietitian Paige Einstein in the release.
"It's clear that caloric extremism still rules the roost at many of America's chain restaurants," said Einstein.
And one big roost is the Red Robin restaurant chain.
The "unhealthiest" meal on the list may just be the 'Monster" sized A.1. Peppercorn burger from Red Robin. The meal, which features bottomless fries and a salted caramel milkshake, boasts a grand total of 3,540 calories, as well as three-and-a-half days' worth of saturated fat (69 grams), and four days' worth of sodium (6,280 mg) -- yes, four days of salt. CSPI estimates the meal boasts 38 teaspoons, equal to almost three-quarters of a cup, of added sugar.
"It's like eating seven McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers washed down with a quart of Coke," states the release.
A person would have to walk briskly for 12 hours to get rid of the meal's calories, claims the group.
Oh, and by the way, July 30 and 31, Cheesecake Factory will be celebrating National Cheesecake Day by offering any slice half price.
Maybe it's time to start walking now.
