The one item at Wendy’s health experts say you should NEVER order 

By now, anyone who eats fast food knows they’re not making a healthy food choice — but some items at your favorite chains are shocking even by these standards

Several burgers at McDonald’s, Burger King, Five Guys and others contain about 1,000 calories in one sitting.

But Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple has a whopping 1,530 calories, 44 grams of saturated fat and 1,890 milligrams of salt.

That’s the calorie equivalent of three McFlurry’s or 15 Snickers bars, and is three quarters of an adult’s daily intake.

Consuming too many calories, too much fat and high amounts of sodium can lead to a host of health problems, from heart disease to cognitive decline to cancer.

“From a calorie standpoint alone, it’s pretty obvious why this burger earns the title of worst Wendy’s meal by providing almost the full amount of calories most people need in a day at over 1,500,” dietician Lisa Richards told me. pureed.

The burger launched in 2020 and then went on a brief hiatus before returning to menus nationwide in September 2022. The triple version has three beef patties, pickles, crispy onions, muenster cheese, beer cheese sauce, bacon and smoky honey mustard.

According to the Wendy’s website, the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple clocks in at 1,530 calories, not including fries or a drink. For example, if you add a medium portion of fries and medium coke, you get 2250.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americansadult women consume between 1600 and 2400 calories per day, depending on age, and men consume between 2000 and 3000 calories per day, depending on age.

The USDA said a 2,000-calorie diet should be standard for most Americans.

This burger would account for more than three-quarters of that intake, leaving little room for the rest of the day’s meals.

It’s also loaded with salt, coming in at 1890 milligrams.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. This is about a teaspoon.

However, about 90 percent of Americans over the age of two consume too much salt — an average of 3,400 milligrams — according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Each year, nearly 500,000 U.S. deaths are attributed to high blood pressure, which has long been linked to overconsumption of salt.

In addition, too much sodium can lead to a host of other diseases, including heart disease and stroke.

It could also increase the risk of certain cancers. For example, a review of more than 268,000 participants suggested that those who consumed an average of 3,000 milligrams had a 68 percent higher risk of developing stomach cancer.

The burger is also high in saturated fat, weighing in at 44 grams.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends getting no more than 5-6 percent of calories from saturated fat. If you eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s about 13 grams of saturated fat.

This means that the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple contains more than three times the recommended amount of saturated fat.

High saturated fat can raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, a primary risk factor for heart disease.

It can also lead to conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, lupus and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to the Cleveland clinic.

Some studies have also linked too much saturated fat to inflammation and mental decline, though the results are largely inconclusive.

In terms of cholesterol, this burger has about 250 milligrams, more than 80 percent of the USDA’s recommended limit of 300.

Finally, the Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple contains 89 grams of protein.

The USDA recommends that the average sedentary adult consume 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, if someone weighs 75 kilograms, they should consume about 60 grams of protein per day.

While protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass and bone health, consuming too much can have adverse consequences.

A Study from 2016found, for example, that when people replaced carbohydrates with protein, they were significantly more likely to gain weight.

Studies have also shown that certain high-protein diets, primarily of red meat-based protein, such as a hamburger, are associated with an increased risk of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer.

Lower-calorie options on the menu include the Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, at 370 calories, and the Double Stack, at 410 calories.