Lindsay Moyer, senior nutritionist at CSPI, told BuzzFeed Health via email that the process started with looking at the menus of the top 200 chain restaurants in the US, as listed by Nation’s Restaurant News.
“In addition to menu items that are outrageously high in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar, we look for dishes that pile shocking amounts of unhealthy foods onto a single plate,” Moyer said.
She said that these “high-calorie mashups” tend to be the worst offenders.
For example, “Chili’s Ultimate Smokehouse Combo puts three entrees and three sides on one huge tray,” Moyer said via email.
Moyer said that while the “winning” meals are extreme examples, “even the typical dishes served in restaurants are a threat to Americans’ health because they raise the risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. You get at least a thousand calories in a typical entrée at most restaurants. Expect another thousand each from the appetizer and dessert.”
