WICHITA, Kansas. May 6, 2008 – Forget all that talk about healthy eating, Americans are known for chowing down on hamburgers and fried chicken.  Our streets are lined with ‘pick up and eat’ places and what we found inside could make your stomach ache.

Burger King might be the home of the Whopper, but it’s also home to some of the unhealthiest foods you can find.

A king-sized order of fries packs 600 calories. Add a Whopper with cheese and you’ve consumed 1,450 calories; almost the entire amount of calories an average person should eat in a day.  And don’t forget dessert. An old-fashioned ice cream shake could push you closer to an old-fashioned heart attack. A large-sized treat packs a whopping 1,200 calories.

If you’re looking for the lesser of the two burger evils, you might consider turning to McDonald’s Big Mac. Registered dietitian Jennifer Winter too a look at the burger and says it’s even better without the sauce.

“Mayonnaise adds about 150 calories, per sandwich. So by reducing that or telling them to leave it off, that would be a reduction,” Winter said. 

What about chicken?  It seems like a healthy option, but fried in batter and dipped in ranch sauce, McDonald’s five-piece Chicken Select Premium Breast Strips, can set you back 870 calories. Instead, order a ten-piece Chicken McNugget with barbecue sauce and you save 400 calories. Over at Burger King, try the Tender Grill Chicken Garden Salad for 240 calories. Just choose your dressing wisely.

Thinking outside the bun? A Crunchy Taco Supreme packs 210 calories. A better bet is the Fresco version which is 60 calories less. Don’t be fooled by the salad, you’ll find 840 calories in Taco Bell’s Fiesta Taco Salad alone.   

As for Kansas favorite Spangles, the owners admit the ingredients change so often, they don’t even know how many calories are in their menu items. They do know it just tastes better, or close to it, without the fat.

“We try to make it easier for people that are trying watch what they eat,” says Rene Steven, Spangles’ director of marketing.

Spangles can make all its sandwiches protein-style; just order it without the bun. You can also pick from three entrees with 400 calories or less, with some low-fat pasta salad on the side.

For more nutritional information:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/nutrition_info.html

http://www.bk.com/Nutrition/PDFs/brochure.pdf

http://www.yum.com/nutrition/menu.asp?brandID_Abbr=5_TB

http://www.spanglesinc.com/

Other links to help you:

http://www.chowbaby.com/