Fast food is loved by many for its convenience and delicious taste, but there are downsides to indulging in these quick meals. Costs are on the rise, leading fast food to no longer fall into the category of “cheap eats” and it is not necessarily good for one’s health or nutritious. To highlight the impact on health, Quartz utilized the nutrition database platform Nutritionix to identify the eight fast-food chains with the highest-calorie menu items.
Listed in order from lowest to highest calorie intake, the eighth place goes to Zaxby’s, known for its chicken wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches, “zalads” and “zappetizers.” The highest-calorie menu item at Zaxby’s is the Buffalo Boneless Wings & Things, containing 1,460 calories per serving. Following Zaxby’s is Wendy’s, with the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple as the highest-calorie item at 1,530 calories per serving.
Shake Shack takes the sixth place on the list, with their highest-calorie item being the Double Down Fries, consisting of crinkle-cut fries topped with Shack cheese sauce, spicy cherry peppers, and all-natural smoked Niman Ranch bacon, at 1,910 calories per serving. Checkers’ Triple Baconzilla! ranks fifth on the list with 1,210 calories per serving, featuring three beef hamburger patties with four slices of bacon, two slices of American cheese, melted cheddar cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a toasted bakery-style bun.
Culver’s, known for their concrete mixers, has the fourth highest-calorie item with the Berry Happy Birthday Concrete Mixer, which contains 1,570 calories in a large serving. Dairy Queen follows in third place, with a large Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Blizzard weighing in at 1,360 calories. Burger King takes the second spot, with the Bacon King Burger as the highest-calorie item on the menu, containing 1,200 calories and featuring two beef burgers topped with thick-cut smoked bacon, melted American cheese, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun.
Finally, Sonic Drive-In takes the top spot with the highest-calorie menu item. Their Oreo and Reese’s Peanut Butter Shake comes in at a whopping 1,720 calories in a large serving. While fast food may be enjoyable in moderation, it is important to be aware of the high calorie content in some menu items, as they may not align with a healthy lifestyle.
