“Calling all cheese lovers!” shouted the press release. “Applebee’s sizzlin’ start to the New Year just got cheesier with the NEW O-M-Cheese Burger.”
Really? Just five days into the new year and Applebee’s had already launched a limited-time bacon cheeseburger with fries that’s served in a skillet of melted cheese. Gulp!
Here’s how much unhealthy fat and salt the concoction racks up, plus a look at how different restaurant chains’ cheeseburgers compare.
This article comes from Nutrition Action. We don’t accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any healthier alternatives we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. They’re just foods we think you’d like to know about!
What’s in Applebee’s O-M-Cheese Burger
“Served in a sizzling skillet of molten queso and a blend of Cheddar cheeses, Applebee’s NEW O-M-Cheese Burger features a juicy, all-beef burger topped with American cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, spicy honey mustard, and served with classic fries,” said the company’s press release.
If you eat all 1,680 calories’ worth of food in the skillet, the total comes to:
- 40 grams of saturated fat (2 times the daily recommended maximum)
- 3,590 milligrams of sodium (1-1/2 times the daily max)
But even those sky-high numbers don’t tell the whole story. Consider the unhealthy ingredients. Nearly all the calories come from red and processed meats (beef and bacon), cheeses (American cheese, queso, and shredded cheese), white flour (the brioche bun), and deep-fried white potatoes (the fries).
How does the O-M-Cheese Burger compare to other cheeseburgers?
Not counting the fries, an O-M-Cheese Burger (plus the molten cheesy goo it’s swimming in) will set you back 1,280 calories. That’s more than four McDonald’s cheeseburgers.
Here’s why. McDonald’s is no purveyor of health food, but most fast-food burgers are far smaller than the thick patties at “casual dining” (sit-down) restaurant chains like Applebee’s. Even a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (520 calories) or a Big Mac (580 calories) has less than half the calories of an O-M-Cheese Burger.
One fast-food exception: Five Guys. Its Cheeseburger (980 calories) comes with two patties. Even its single-patty Little Cheeseburger (610 calories) tops a Big Mac.
At Applebee’s and other chains like it, big burgers are the norm. Take some of Chili’s cheeseburgers (without fries) for example:
- Chili’s Oldtimer with Cheese: 850 calories and 23 grams of sat fat (a full day’s max)
- Chili’s Bacon Cheeseburger: 1,110 calories and 31 grams of sat fat (1-1/2 days’ worth)
- Chili’s Bacon Rancher Burger: 1,700 calories and 50 grams of sat fat (2-1/2 days’ worth)
The Bacon Rancher Burger—with its two big beef patties, its cheese, and its six slices of bacon—somehow manages to cram in even more saturated fat than Applebee’s O-M-Cheese Burger. Sheesh!
Why cheeseburgers matter for climate change
The big-burger trend isn’t just a threat to our arteries. It’s also bad news for our overheating planet. That’s because producing a serving of beef releases far more greenhouse gases than producing a serving of chicken, turkey, pork, seafood, or beans.
Diets that are healthy for people and the Earth can have room for small amounts of red meat, but the servings are modest…something an O-M-Cheese Burger clearly isn’t.
Is saturated fat from red meat and cheese good or bad?
We’re glad you asked. Maybe you’ve seen the new Dietary Guidelines’ harmful advice to eat more meat and prioritize full-fat dairy foods (like cheese). That’s not based on an objective look at the science. The best way to keep your heart healthy is to follow the longstanding evidence-based advice to limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your calories—that translates into roughly 20 grams a day if you eat 2,000 calories—and to replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, like those found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
For more details, see our answers to common questions about whether saturated fat is good or bad.
Tips on ordering healthier meals at restaurants
Tips vary from cuisine to cuisine, but at any restaurant, you can probably find ways to replace red meat, pump up the vegetables, shave off some sodium, and save some of your oversized portions for tomorrow. Here’s what to consider.
