Speaking of Sickening Over-Indulgence

The 20 Worst Mall-Foods in America
The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here's how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation
By: Matt Goulding
20. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal
19. Worst Drink
18. Worst Supermarket Meal
17. Worst "Healthy" Burger
16. Worst Mexican Entree
15. Worst Kids' Meal
14. Worst Sandwich
13. Worst Salad
12. Worst Burger
11. Worst Steak
10. Worst Breakfast
9. Worst Dessert
8. Worst Chinese Entree
7. Worst Chicken Entree
6. Worst Fish Entree
5. Worst Pizza
4. Worst Pasta
3. Worst Nachos
2. Worst Starter
1. The Worst Food in America

It’s that time of year again, when you’re logging more hours than ever at the mall. Blame stress, blame shopping fatigue, or blame the irresistible smell of food-court treats slamming your senses from the minute you walk in the door—whatever the reason, you’ll probably end up chowing down at the mall during your shopping trip.

Here’s the danger: Studies have shown that the more temptation people resist, the harder it becomes to continue resisting. That means after hours of being surrounded by last-minute sales, special offers and life-changing, one-time deals, your ability to resist the enticing edibles of the mall food court may be severely compromised. And considering the industrial-strength calorie bombs we uncovered while researching the Eat This, Not That! series, a lack of willpower in the presence of mall eateries can be a very dangerous thing.

Sure, a turkey burger sounds healthy. But is it, really? Not if you order the Bella from Ruby Tuesday, which packs a whopping 1,145 calories. (And yes, that's before a side of fries.) Fortunately, there exists a guide to help you navigate the nutritional pitfalls that pollute nearly every mall food court in America. That list above, of the worst foods, the authors discovered in their scramble to save shoppers serious calories in the holiday season.

To further enlighten you on the prevalence of preposterous portions, we spent months analyzing menus, nutrition labels, and ingredient lists to identify the food industry's worst offenders. Our primary criterion? Sheer caloric impact. After all, it's the top cause of weight gain and the health problems that accompany it. (As you read, keep in mind that 2,500 calories a day is a reasonable intake for the average guy.) We also factored in other key nutritional data, such as excessive carbohydrates and fat, added sugars, trans fats, and sodium. The result is our first annual list of the worst foods in America.

I don't think I've ever consumed even one of these delectables. I never tried to eat the 60 oz. steak at tht restaurant on the east side of Amarillo, either (Free, if consumed within one hour). My major extravagances in this area are a double green-chile/cheese Lota Burger with fries and a choc shake. Mebbe every 6 mos? But I have a tendency towards indolence, and that can be accompanied by a propensity towards corpulence, too, so I gotta watch my weight pretty closely (Height: 6'; Weight: 220 lb; Waist: 39")

While we're on the subject: Two Triple Cheese, Side Order of Fries, anyone?