The Saltiest Foods of 2011

1. WORST PASTA 
Ruby Tuesday Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta
3,933 mg sodium
1,086 calories
63 g fat

Sodium Equivalent: 11 Large Orders of McDonald’s French Fries

Somebody needs to tell Ruby Tuesday that to make “Mediterranean” pasta, you don’t need to actually boil the noodles in Mediterranean seawater. Ruby Tuesday makes only one pasta dish with fewer than 2,000 mg of sodium (almost an entire day's worth!), and it has only two pasta dishes with fewer than 3,000 mg. The other four pasta dishes on the menu each have more than 3,000 mg. 

Eat This Instead!
Ruby Tuesday Plain Grilled Petite Sirloin with Steamed Broccoli and White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
987 mg sodium
460 calories
22 g fat

2. WORST BREAKFAST
IHOP Thick-Cut Bone-In Ham & Eggs
4,310 mg sodium
1,170 calories
61 g fat (19 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent: 37 servings of Planter’s Cocktail Peanuts (that’s more than three 12-oz cans!)

IHOP is another chain known for egregious sodium levels. Even foods that sound relatively sodium-free are swimming in the stuff. Take an order of Buttermilk Pancakes. One order—5 pancakes—has 2,640 mg sodium. Things turn especially ugly when you start adding meat to the plate. You’d be wise to avoid any dish with steak or ham, which consistently contribute to a total of more than 2,000 mg per dish.  

Eat This Instead!
IHOP Simple & Fit Turkey Bacon Omelette with Fresh Fruit
730 mg sodium
420 calories
21 g fat (10 g saturated)

3. WORST "HEALTHY" ENTREE 
Applebee's Weight Watchers Chipotle Lime Chicken
4,990 mg sodium
490 calories
12 g fat (2 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent: 31 servings of Ruffles (that’s more than two “Family Size” bags!)

Avoiding salt at Applebee's is nearly impossible. Not even the “healthy” selections pass muster. The six items on the Under 550 Calories menu average 2,341 mg of sodium per entree. The five items on the Weight Watchers menu average 2,448 mg. Even the side dishes are dangerous. A side of Loaded Mashed Potatoes will cost you 1,340 mg, and a side of Broccoli Cheddar Soup will cost you 1,690. If you order anything off this menu, you'd be wise to stick to sodium-free foods for the rest of the day. 

Eat This Instead!
Applebee's Asiago Peppercorn Steak
1,520 mg sodium
390 calories
14 g fat (6 g saturated)

4. SALTIEST APPETIZER
Applebee's Appetizer Sampler
6,830 mg sodium
2,590 calories
173 g fat (54 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent: 370 Funyuns (that's more than four bags of 'em!)

Restaurant appetizer samplers are notoriously riddled with sodium, but Applebee's is a full-blown tour de force of heart-stopping potential. Piled onto this plate are a bacon and cheese quesadilla, fried cheese sticks, spinach and artichoke dip and chips, and boneless buffalo wings. Just one of those things is bad enough, but add all four and you have three days' worth of sodium and more than an entire day of calories—in just one appetizer! 

Eat This Instead!Applebee's Classic Southern BBQ Wings
1,070 mg sodium
660 calories
35 g fat (9 g saturated)

5. SALTIEST CHINESE
P.F. Chang's Double Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork
7,900 mg sodium
1,652 calories
84 g fat (12 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent: 263 Triscuit crackers (that’s 4.3 boxes!)

PF Changs’ menu is probably the saltiest in America; even a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup has 5,000 mg. For that half of the population that's supposed to max out at 1,500 mg daily sodium, the Double Pan-Fried Noodles with Pork harbors more than five times the limit. Even for those in the higher tier, it still represents three-and-a-half days worth of sodium consumption. If you end up at Chang's, let the Steamed Buddha Bowl be your safety plate. But remember: It's got to be steamed. Order it stir-fried and the same dish suddenly leaps to 2,740 mg sodium. Yikes. 

Eat This Instead!
PF Changs Steamed Buddha's Feast Lunch Bowl (brown rice) with Egg Drop Soup
800 mg sodium
480 calories
7 g fat (0 g saturated)

Posted in: Health