Food and Nutrition

11 Worst Burgers in America

11. Worst Classic Fast-Food Burger: Burger King Whopper with Cheese

760 calories, 47 g fat (16 g saturated, 1 g trans), 1,410 mg sodium

With 200 more calories than a McDonald's Big Mac, the Whopper is the clear loser in the battle of the burger icons. Blame it on the jumbo patty and globs of mayo (160 calories' worth to be exact). And get this: If you add medium fries and a medium coke—a likely scenario—you're looking at a 1,500-calorie meal. The best way to "have it your way" at BK? Order a standard cheeseburger and call it a day.

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Burger King Cheeseburger

300 calories, 14 g fat (6 g saturated, 0 g trans), 710 mg sodium

10. Worst Burger Kids’ Meal: McDonald’s McDouble Mighty Kids Meal with Fat-Free Chocolate Milk Jug

765 calories, 30 g fat (9.5 g saturated, 1 g trans), 1,215 mg sodium

I applaud McDonald's for its recent move to offset fries with fruit in all its kids' meals, but—apple slices or not—this "mighty" menu option remains the worst children's choice at the drive-thru. The chain created the Mighty Kids Meal for "in-be-tweens" (kids aged 8 to 12). Problem is, it packs more fat and calories than an adult's meal should. A standard Happy Meal is plenty of food for your kid—no matter their age—and chicken nuggets trump burgers any day.

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McDonald’s Chicken McNugget Happy Meal with 1% Low-Fat Milk Jug

405 calories, 19.5 g fat (4 g saturated), 555 mg sodium,

9. Worst Basic Burger: Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger

920 calories, 62 g fat (29.5 g saturated), 1,310 mg sodium

This burger bomb landed on the list for one reason: false advertising. At Five Guys, regular burgers are doubles and "Little" burgers are singles. And the burgers aren't the only serving size rip-off the chain serves up. The "regular" fries have 620 calories—double that of most standard fry orders. The takeaway: Go "Little" or go elsewhere.

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Five Guys Little Bacon Burger

560 calories, 33 g fat (14.5 g saturated), 640 mg sodium,

8. Worst “Healthy” Burger: Ruby Tuesday Avocado Turkey Burger

968 calories, 61 g fat, 1,601 mg sodium

It's entirely common for restaurants to top their turkey burgers with so many greasy calories that they completely nullify the small savings you get by choosing turkey over beef. Ruby Tuesday's Avocado Turkey Burger, for example, has more calories than the chain's Classic Cheeseburger. The lesson: Turkey doesn't always mean healthier.

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Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin

401 calories, 20 g fat, 1,023 mg sodium

7. Worst Burger Melt: Red Robin All-American Patty Melt

1,254 calories, 94 g fat, 1,951 mg sodium

Melts are notoriously high in calories, thanks to copious amounts of butter and cheese, and Red Robin takes the diner classic from poor to preposterous by adding 350 calories of Thousand Island dressing. This "All-American" monstrosity is the highest-calorie burger on the menu, but unfortunately, the others are close behind. In fact, the Keep it Simple Burger is the chain's only burger that falls below 800 calories, which makes it your only sane option.

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Red Robin Keep It Simple Burger

569 calories, 24 g fat, 991 mg sodium

6. Worst BBQ Burger: Chili’s Shiner Bock BBQ Burger

1,300 calories, 74 g fat (24 g saturated), 2,840 mg sodium

An average burger at Chili's packs 1,400 calories, and the Shiner Bock is among the worst of the lot. The burger's main calorie culprit: crispy onion strings. Last time I checked, deep-fried onions were a side dish—and a shoddy one at that. This dish also comes standard with 380 calories of fries, so all said, you're looking at nearly a day's calories in one sitting. If you want to get your red-meat fix at Chili's, steak's the only way to go.

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Chili’s Custom Combinations Classic Sirloin with Sweet Corn on the Cob and Steamed Broccoli

520 calories, 21 g fat (7 g saturated), 1,770 mg sodium

5. Worst Sliders: Applebee’s Cheeseburger Sliders with Applewood Smoked Bacon

1,340 calories, 87 g fat (75 g saturated, 3 g trans), 2,550 mg sodium

Sliders are particularly sneaky diet traps. First, despite their diminutive stature, they tend to pack as many—if not more—calories as their full-size brethren. Second, they're often listed as appetizers, which means you risk wolfing down more than a meal's worth of calories before you even set eyes on your entrée. My advice: Go with a leaner appetizer like the Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos—the only Applebee's option under 600 calories—and consider sharing with a friend.

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Applebee’s Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos

590 calories, 24 g fat (4.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 2,150 mg sodium

4. Worst Double Cheeseburger: Denny’s Double Cheeseburger

1,400 calories, 87 g fat (41 g saturated, 2 g trans), 2,680 mg sodium

Some things are better in pairs: skis, wings, Super Bowl tickets. But burgers? Not so much. An extra patty adds little flavor and costs you big on the bathroom scale. Take this double whammy from Denny's: double patties, double cheese, double a day's saturated fat, and 2 grams of trans fat. What do all these twos add up to? Double chins. The 540-calorie Veggie Burger is the chain's only safe burger option, but if you're an unabashed carnivore, you'll appreciate the Prime Rib Skillet.

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Denny’s Prime Rib Skillet

585 calories, 38 g fat (12.5 g saturated), 1,460 mg sodium

3. Worst Crazy Burger Creation: Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Burger

1,540 calories, 92 g fat (35 g saturated), 2,490 mg sodium

American chains are constantly dreaming up wacky dishes designed to get your novelty neurons firing at the speed of light. Perhaps the single best example of this frankenfood effect: the Grilled Cheese Burger from Friendly's. It's a giant burger wedged between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Need I say more? If you're craving grilled cheese, order grilled cheese.

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Friendly’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich

800 calories, 37 g fat (14 g saturated), 1,280 mg sodium

2. Worst Fast-Food Burger: Sonic Ring Leader Loaded Burger Double Patty

1,660 calories, 120 g fat (44 g saturated, 4 g trans), 1,450 mg sodium

The recent unveiling of this menacing half-pound burger marks a new low for a chain that already suffers from an iffy reputation. The bacon strips and onion rings will receive much of the criticism, but it's the less flashy components that hold the hidden danger. In fact, the two slices of cheddar cheese and the double slather of mayo account for a third of the fat. (Then there's the "bun oil" Sonic squeezes on.) If you need a burger fix, there are less perilous ways to get it.

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Jr. Deluxe Burger with Bacon and Green Chilies

425 calories, 25 g fat (8 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 705 mg sodium,

1. Worst Burger in America: Chili’s Jalapeño Smokehouse Bacon Burger

1,910 calories, 126 g fat (43 g saturated), 5,290 mg sodium

This tricked-out number is the worst of the worst of Chili's' burger behemoths. It comes saddled with tortilla strips, bacon, cheddar, mayo, and jalapeno-ranch dressing, the combined impact of which is more than 2 days' worth of saturated fat and as much sodium as you'd find in 6 pounds of McDonald's French fries.

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013