We Present America's 20 Least Healthy Restaurant Chains

Generally speaking, Americans should know that eating from a fast-food chain is one of the worst decisions you can make for your body. However, those in need of a quick meal or who aren't in the mood to cook, tend to drive up to these restaurants to get their hunger fix.

Popular restaurant chains like Taco Bell have actually become some of the healthiest fast-food chains compared to all the others, introducing low-calorie meals with their Fresco style menu and adding an entirely vegetarian menu, according to Business Insider. Unfortunately, other fast-food chains in America have yet to follow suit, making them extremely unhealthy, no matter what you end up ordering off the menu.

After taking a look at this list of America's 20 most unhealthy restaurant chains, fans of fast food might want to reconsider ordering that Baconator from Wendy's or starting their mornings with a McDonald's Big Breakfast.

20 McDonald's Breakfast Is One Of The Worst Ways To Start Your Morning

According to Live Strong, most of the breakfast menu items at McDonald's are high in calories, fat, and sodium. For example, if your only option is to eat at this fast-food chain, avoid getting all the Big Breakfast meals which contain more than 700 calories, and the Big Breakfast with hotcakes and a large biscuit has a total of 1,150 calories.

19 Quizno's Subs Are Just As Unhealthy As A Fast Food Burger

Eat This, Not That! reported that one of Quizno's least healthy sandwiches is surprisingly one with turkey. The chain's Turkey Bacon Guacamole Sandwich contains 1, 300 calories, 69 grams of fat and is equivalent to eating 341 Lay's Classic chips! While there are plenty of health benefits to eating avocado, the sandwich is a no-go.

Checkers has been very popular among American's but not because they offer any healthy options on their menu. According to Cheat Sheet, Checkers is "still one of the 50 most popular fast-food chains in the country," but their burgers are not exactly good for you. The 1/2 pound Double Champ with cheese has 140 percent of the recommended daily intake of saturated fat and almost their entire menu has higher levels of saturated fat than most other fast-food chains.

17 Sonic Is Known For Its Unhealthy Creations

America's favorite drive-in was ranked as the top least healthy fast-food chain by Cheat Sheet because of their burgers. Ten of the burgers on the Sonic menu contains over 1,100 calories, and that is without the sides. What's more, almost half of the items off Sonic's menu have at least one gram of saturated fat.

16 Eating A Dozen White Castle Sliders Isn't The Best Idea

White Castle's sliders are unlike any other regular burger out there and that's why people come back for more. However, each one of these sliders contains six grams of fat and 140 calories, so eating a dozen of them won't do you any favors, reports The Daily Meal.

15 Shake Shack Fans May Want To Skip The Shakes

Shake Shack has become a favorite among Americans, but if you want to keep it semi-healthy, opt for the single burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, reports Philly Mag. It's also recommended to avoid the shakes and stick to their wine, beer or just plain old water.

14 Five Guys Burger Buns Alone Are Over 200 Calories

Don't even bother going into Five Guys if you are looking for a healthy meal option. According to Mashed, the bun alone on their burger is an insane 260 calories and 9 grams of fat. If you must eat there, go for their Veggie Sandwich, it is not a burger at all, but filled with vegetable toppings like mushrooms and peppers.

13 Burger King's Whopper Poses A Danger To Anyone's Cardiovascular Health

According to Healthy Eating, while a Burger King Whopper is loaded with protein and iron, it is definitely not okay to consistently order it. The famous burger's "high amount of fat, cholesterol, and sodium makes it an unhealthy food that poses a danger to your cardiovascular health. Eating it on a regular basis could easily cause you to gain excess body fat, suffer from blocked arteries and develop high blood pressure."

12 Eating In-N-Out Has Its Consequences

According to Eat This, Not That!, celebrities living on the west coast might want to put down that famous In-N-Out Double Double Burger and stick to something more plain. When ordering, consider a simple hamburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and just 1/2 sauce, skipping the cheese. Or, you can always swap the burger buns for lettuce, which is called their "protein style" burger.

11 Dairy Queen Has An Array Of Sugary Treats

The least healthy menu item at Dairy Queen is their six-piece chicken strip basket with country gravy which packs a whopping 1,250 calories, 65 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 120 milligrams of cholesterol, and 3,210 milligrams of sodium, reports The Daily Meal. If eating there is the only option, stick to their grilled chicken garden greens salad with light Italian dressing.

10 Avoid Wendy's Baconator At All Costs

The Daily Meal states that while Wendy's might be a better option than McDonald's, with their variety of salads and limited-time releases, the chain is still not good for you. Some of their least healthy sandwiches include the Baconator, containing 660 calories and 38 grams of fat, the Asiago Ranch Club with Homestyle Chicken, which contains 670 calories and 32 grams of fat and the Pretzel Bacon Burger, containing 680 calories and 37 grams of fat.

Arby's is known for their roast beef sandwiches with their Beef n' Cheddar one of their best sellers. However, ordering a roast beef sandwich isn't even the worst thing on their menu. According to The Daily Meal, avoid ordering the Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich which contains 800 calories, 34 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol and 2,420 milligrams of sodium.

8 Rethink Eating Buffalo Wild Wings

Thankfully, there are way more options to choose from at Buffalo Wild Wings than other fast-food chains known for their burgers and fries. The Daily Meal reports that even ordering their small order of wings can contain over 1,000 calories or about 165 calories per wing. Just four tablespoons of their blue cheese dressing add on an extra 600 calories and 56 grams of fat to your meal.

If anyone is ordering from Pizza Hut, they know that they aren't going to be making the best choices when it comes to eating healthy. According to Insider, the two worst menu items from the pizza chain are the Meat Lovers pie and the Creamy Chicken Alfredo pasta. One slice of a Meat Lovers pie contains 480 calories, while a half pan of the chicken Alfredo dish contains 580 calories.

6 A Typical Chipotle Order Has Over 1,000 Calories

People may think that heading over to Chipotle for lunch is a much healthier option than going to McDonalds's or Wendy's, but they couldn't be more wrong. According to People, most people's orders at Chipotle are actually very unhealthy with a typical order weighing in about 1,070 calories, with the meal's majority containing a full day's worth of the FDA's recommended amount of sodium.

5 Skip The Rice And Noodles On Your Next Panda Express Meal

Panda Express is great at offering items like steamed veggies as an alternative to the Chow Mein and rice and even giving a WOK Smart menu to its customers. However, Eat This, Not That! recommends that people skip the more than 400 calories of rice and noodles even though they may be tempting.

4 More Than 40 Percent Of Whataburger's Sides Rank As Unhealthy

Whataburger's Mushroom Swiss Burger is one of the least healthy menu items you can order. According to Cheat Sheet, the burgers two beef patties, grilled mushrooms, Swiss cheese, covered in au jus sauce is extremely unhealthy. Packing over 1,000 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, 11 grams of sugar, and 1,890 milligrams of sodium, skip this burger if you care about your health.

3 KFC Is Nowhere Close To A Home-Cooked Meal

Sorry to say, but KFC is one of the worst restaurant chains you can grab a quick meal at because of the excessive amounts of sodium, especially if you are chowing down on a bucket of legs and wings. According to Blasting News, KFC has consistently been on the news because of its unhealthy attribute of frying and the unhealthy oil is uses. So, your best bet is to try and stay away from here if you can.

2 Avoid Eating Any Carl's Jr. Breakfast Sandwiches

According to Cheat Sheet, you might want to avoid Carl's Jr. if you're looking to have a quick breakfast before work. "Any amount of trans fat is considered very unhealthy, and six of their breakfast sandwiches have six grams of it," the site reported. But, if you find yourself at Carl's Jr. for lunch, order the Charbroiled Chicken Salad.

1 Cinnabon's Hefty Calorie Count Is Shocking

Cinnabon is so unhealthy, it's in a league of its own. According to The Daily Meal, a Cinnabon Classic contains 880 calories and 36 grams of fat, and keep in mind that this is not even a meal, but a dessert, so it piles on the sugar. If you find yourself at the mall and smell the tempting goodness of Cinnabon, just keep on walking.

Sources: livestrong.com, cheatsheet.com, eatthis.com, mashed.com, healthyeating.sfgate.com, insider.com, people.com, uk.blastingnews.com, thedailymeal.com