{"id":80103,"date":"2025-07-21T07:55:25","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T07:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/80103\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T07:55:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T07:55:25","slug":"wendys-tops-list-of-most-unhealthy-fast-food-chains-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/80103\/","title":{"rendered":"Wendy&#8217;s tops list of most unhealthy fast-food chains, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Fast food workers are struggling to afford to eat the meals they serve, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>A new report compares meals at restaurant chains across the U.S., noting which foods contain high calories, fat and sodium, contributing to &#8220;higher risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/food\/nutrition-facts-label\/calories-nutrition-facts-label#:~:text=2%2C000%20calories%20a%20day%20is,linked%20to%20overweight%20and%20obesity.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration<\/a> (FDA) website says &#8220;2,000 calories a day is used as a general guide for nutrition advice, but your calorie needs may be higher or lower depending on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here is how popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/fast-food\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">fast-food chains<\/a> ranked, with No. 1 being the unhealthiest, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldatlas.com\/society\/10-of-the-most-unhealthy-fast-food-restaurants-in-the-us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">according to WorldAtlas.<\/a><\/p>\n<p> 1. Wendy&#8217;s<\/p>\n<p>Those who order a triple Baconator meal with large fries and a medium Frosty already exceed the daily recommended calorie intake by consuming 2,160 calories, WorldAtlas said after crunching the numbers. It also contains 54 grams of saturated fat and 3,400 milligrams of sodium.<\/p>\n<p>     <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/wendys-drive-thru.jpg\" alt=\"Wendy's drive thru\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>A triple Baconator meal with large fries and a medium Frosty has more than 2,000 calories. (Daniel Acker\/Bloomberg \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At Wendy\u2019s, we\u2019re proud to offer a diverse range of fresh, iconic menu options that can be customized to suit our fans\u2019 unique lifestyles and preferences,&#8221; a Wendy&#8217;s spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business.<\/p>\n<tr>Ticker Security Last Change Change %<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"ticker\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/quote?stockTicker=WEN\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WEN<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"security\">THE WENDY&#8217;S CO.<\/td>\n<td class=\"last\">10.47<\/td>\n<td class=\"change neg\">-0.10<\/td>\n<td class=\"percent neg\">\n        -0.95%\n      <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr\/>\n<p>&#8220;From our fresh, never frozen beef and crisp, hand-prepared salads to baked potatoes, every item is crafted with high-quality ingredients. This commitment ensures that everyone can find something that meets their nutritional goals without compromising on flavor,&#8221; it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\/just-one-hot-dog-day-could-raise-disease-risk-study-suggests-some-cite-caveats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>JUST ONE HOT DOG A DAY COULD RAISE DISEASE RISK, STUDY SUGGESTS, BUT SOME CITE CAVEATS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>2. Sonic<\/p>\n<p>Sonic cheeseburger combos with medium tots and a large Cherry Limeade come in at 1,600 calories and 3,000 milligrams of sodium.<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iStock-493837088-sonic-drive-in-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Sonic Drive-In Restaurant exterior in Costa Mesa, United States, with large logo sign.\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Sonic Drive-In is second in WorldAtlas&#8217; report on unhealthy fast-food restaurants. (iStock \/ iStock)<\/p>\n<p>Those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth with a Reese&#8217;s Peanut Butter Cup Master Shake consume 1,720 calories and 48 teaspoons of sugar. A 12-ounce can of regular soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthy-weight-growth\/rethink-your-drink\/index.html#:~:text=A%2012%2Dounce%20regular%20soda,than%20150%20calories%20from%20sugar.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CDC.<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>3. Taco Bell<\/p>\n<p>Taco Bell&#8217;s Beefy 5-Layer Burrito plus its exclusive Mountain Dew Baja Blast (size not noted) comes out to 970 calories and 1,770 milligrams of sodium, WorldAtlas reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Taco-Bell-sign.jpg\" alt=\"Taco Bell exterior\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Taco Bell placed third in WorldAtlas&#8217; report on unhealthiest fast-food restaurants. (iStock \/ iStock)<\/p>\n<tr>Ticker Security Last Change Change %<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"ticker\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/quote?stockTicker=YUM\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">YUM<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"security\">YUM! BRANDS INC.<\/td>\n<td class=\"last\">148.96<\/td>\n<td class=\"change pos\">+0.79<\/td>\n<td class=\"percent pos\">\n        +0.53%\n      <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr\/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/food-drink\/mcdonalds-prices-1991-ignite-discussion-nostalgic-millennials-it-tasted-better-too\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>MCDONALD&#8217;S PRICES FROM 1991 IGNITE DISCUSSION AMONG NOSTALGIC MILLENNIALS: &#8216;IT TASTED BETTER, TOO&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>4. Dairy Queen (DQ)<\/p>\n<p>While most people head to DQ for ice cream, some may indulge in their food offerings. A medium Oreo Blizzard has 1,080 calories and 44 grams of fat. Those who choose the six-piece chicken strip basket with gravy and fries consume 1,300 calories, 2,400 milligrams of sodium and 21 grams of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/nutrition-and-fitness\/nutrition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">saturated fat.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dq-blizzard.jpg\" alt=\"DQ blizzard with red spoon\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>A medium Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen has 1,080 calories and 44 grams of fat, according to WorldAtlas. (Michael Nagle\/Bloomberg \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>5. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)<\/p>\n<p>Coming in at the middle of the list is KFC for its three-piece extra-crispy combo with biscuit and mashed-potato gravy at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/nutrition-and-fitness\/diet-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">1,300 calories,<\/a> 2,900 milligrams of sodium and 22 grams of saturated fat without a soda to drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/kfc-fried-chicken.jpg\" alt=\"KFC food\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>KFC places fifth in WorldAtlas&#8217; report on the unhealthiest fast-food restaurants. (Moses Robinson \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>6. Quiznos\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Twelve-inch classic Italian sandwiches at the toasted sub chain have about 1,300 calories and 2,850 milligrams of sodium without any sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Quiznos-PrimeRib.jpg\" alt=\"Quiznos' prime rib sandwich pictured. \"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Twelve-inch classic Italian subs have about 1,300 calories and 2,850 milligrams of sodium, according to WorldAtlas. (Quiznos \/ Fox News)<\/p>\n<p>7. McDonald&#8217;s<\/p>\n<p>The Golden Arches&#8217; Double Quarter Pounder combo with fries and a soda can have 2,000 calories.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/mcdonalds-restaurant.jpg\" alt=\"An exterior view of a McDonald's fast food restaurant.\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>A Double Quarter Pounder meal has about 2,000 calories, according to WorldAtlas. (Paul Weaver\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<tr>Ticker Security Last Change Change %<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"ticker\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/quote?stockTicker=MCD\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MCD<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"security\">MCDONALD&#8217;S CORP.<\/td>\n<td class=\"last\">297.07<\/td>\n<td class=\"change neg\">-3.30<\/td>\n<td class=\"percent neg\">\n        -1.10%\n      <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr\/>8. Smashburger<\/p>\n<p>A large BBQ Bacon Cheddar burger at this chain with 200 stores across the U.S. has about 1,050 calories and 28 grams of saturated fat. Adding an Oreo shake? That is another 930 calories.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iStock-513056532.jpg\" alt=\"Smashburger restaurant exterior\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Smashburger has about 200 locations in the U.S. (iStock \/ iStock)<\/p>\n<p>9. Little Caesars<\/p>\n<p>Those who choose the $5 Hot-N-Ready pepperoni pizza consume 2,140 calories and 4,260 milligrams of sodium.<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Little-Caesars-Pizza.jpg\" alt=\"Little Caesars Pizza\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>A Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready pepperoni pizza contains more than 2,000 calories, according to WorldAtlas. (Paul Weaver\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The calorie count stated in the study is for an entire pizza, not for a typical portion size for one person,&#8221; Little Caesars said in a statement to FOX Business. &#8220;In fact, a slice of a large Little Caesars Classic Pepperoni Pizza has a lower calorie count than all other major US pizza chains.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>10. Chick-fil-A<\/p>\n<p>An original chicken sandwich with medium waffle fries comes in at 800 calories and 750 milligrams of sodium. Lemonades and milkshakes to drink with it &#8220;push totals sky-high,&#8221; WorldAtlas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/chick-fil-a-restaurant-with-drive-thru.jpg\" alt=\"Chick-fil-A front with drive thru\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Chick-fil-A was 10th on WorldAtlas&#8217; list of unhealthiest fast-food restaurants. (Chick-fil-A \/ Fox News)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foxbusiness.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>FOX Business reached out to all the fast-food chains listed for comment on WorldAtlas&#8217; report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fast food workers are struggling to afford to eat the meals they serve, according to a new report.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":80104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[210,1182,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-80103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114890153993861143","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}