The Unhealthiest Meal Found On The Wendy's Menu

We all know that fast food menus are full of foods that can send one's daily calorie count through the roof with just a few bites. That hasn't stopped us from regularly hitting the drive-thru of our favorite burger joints, though, and Wendy's these days is selling burgers like gangbusters. They were the third largest fast food burger chain in the United States in 2018 (via QSR), and they have no shortage of beefy behemoths on their menu that would make a dietitian's head spin. As for the unhealthiest meal that's lurking on Wendy's menu, well, that comes courtesy of Wendy's founder, Dave Thomas.

Dave's Triple Cheeseburger combo meal takes the cake (or beef) with 2,030 calories. Just how do the calories in this meal add up? Well, if you dare to maximize this meal, you'll be getting the triple patty version of Dave's signature burger that weighs in at 1,100 calories and 1,620 milligrams of sodium (which is well over half the daily recommended intake). But wait, that's not all. Factor in the 400 calories from a large regular soda, and the 530 calories from a large order of fries, and it's easy to see just how quickly those calories pile on — not to mention the 97 grams of fat lurking in your combo.

Here's the thing, though: This is just the unhealthiest combo meal that's standard on the Wendy's menu. Fast food menus are constantly changing, so what if you wanted to throw caution to the wind and take a Thelma and Louise approach to your Wendy's meal? Working off Wendy's current menu, the unhealthiest sandwich you could possibly order is the Triple Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger. The three patty monster is topped with onion rings, bacon, jalapeños, and two different kinds of sauces. Yes, that's a lot, which explains why it is full of 2,180 milligrams of sodium and 790 of its 1,280 calories are from fat.

But what's a burger without fries? If you're going to order the Triple Bacon Jalapeño Cheeseburger, then you might as well add its accomplice — the Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Fries. They pack a mighty punch of 570 calories. Then you could wash all this down with a large 480 calorie Wildberry Lemonade, but if you really want to test the limits of your arteries, then perhaps a Frosty is the way to go. Wendy's classic large chocolate Frosty stacks up with 590 calories and 81 grams of sugar. If you were to build this meal with the burger, bacon cheese fries, and large Frosty you would be chowing down on 2,440 calories and a jaw-dropping 138 grams of fat. Phew!  

While the average adult burns anywhere from 1,600 to 3,000 calories a day just going about their routine, exercising to burn off this many extra calories could take around three hours of swift running (via Livestrong). Just something to think about next time you find yourself pondering what (not) to order in the Wendy's drive-thru.