The #1 Worst Omelette You Can Order at 5 Popular Breakfast Chains
For a lot of people, going out for breakfast is one of life's great pleasures. And restaurants that serve breakfast all day? That's a treat. With all the buzz you hear about low-sugar and low-carb living these days, browsing past the pancakes and biscuits with gravy to find some protein-powered egg dishes might seem like a healthier move. But, beware: As our research shows, the omelette section can have some of the worst red flags on a restaurant's entire menu.
For this analysis of the omelettes at five beloved breakfast chains, we focused mostly on the calorie count. Certainly, calories aren't the only way to judge how good or bad a particular food is for you—but considering chain restaurant items are designed to be delicious enough to induce the cravings that will keep bringing you back for more, they generally tend to be inherently high in fat (including saturated fat), sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients. By reviewing the calorie count alone on these menu items, it's an intuitive indication of which breakfast orders have the worst all-around nutrition facts.
What follows are the worst omelettes you can order at 5 popular restaurant chains—with the most caloric restaurant chain last. (Note: The restaurant data listed here is for reference, as nutrition content can vary each time a particular dish is served.)
By the way, don't miss Jamie Oliver Lost 26 Pounds By Making This One Change to His Diet.
Perkins
Perkins fans loyally stand by this chain as a consistently solid place for breakfast out. If you're one of them, you might be delighted to know that their omelet orders start off healthy, if you go for just the omelet itself.
Granny's Country Omelet at Perkins with ham, cheese sauce, and American cheese appears to be the worst on their menu, reportedly weighing in at 630 calories. (Though, we might point out, it can be tough to know what's really inside an ingredient called "cheese sauce.") Perkins' Everything Omelet comes in a little lower, at 550.
Here's the catch, which Perkins omelet lovers know well: Most Perkins omelets are accompanied by a choice of toast, three pancakes, or Perkins' Mammoth Muffin. Consider opting for the whole wheat toast—especially because a blueberry Mammoth Muffin adds 650 calories to your omelet. Meanwhile, the banana nut? That packs on 790 extra calories.
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Denny's
Based on this analysis, it appears that the quintessential breakfast chain believes you should go big or have breakfast at home.
The Loaded Veggie Omelette, for instance, seems to be more focused on "loaded" than "veggie" with 1,440 calories. And Denny's Mile-High Denver Omelette is a ham and American cheese blend that contains a mountain of calories: 1,600.
But, the worst omelette order here is Denny's Ultimate Omelette, which has up to 1,660 calories, depending on your sides.
One smart way to slim down your Denny's breakfast is to request an omelette made with egg whites. Our research suggests that unlike many other restaurants, Denny's won't up-charge you for those.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans is another classic destination for breakfast… however, their omelets aren't the lightest way to start your day. The ham, bacon, and sausage inside the Three Meat & Cheese omelet contribute to its calorie content of 1,210, while the Southwest Avocado with sausage and "cilantro lime cream sauce" is said to fall in the 1,200 range, too.
But it's Bob Evans' Western Omelet that serves up the most calories—up to 1,410.
Instead, consider building your own omelet at Bob Evans, opting for ham to help keep the fat content under control. (It's helpful to remember that among restaurant breakfast meats, sausage is usually by far the worst. For more on this, read The #1 Worst Breakfast to Order at Wendy's.)
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel doesn't regularly serve omelets per se—but on the topic of delectable breakfast orders, they might deserve a look. Consider the Bacon N' Egg Hashbrown Casserole's 980 calories, or the Sunrise Sampler's 920 calories in its grits, fried apples, hashbrown casserole, and meat.
Meanwhile, Grandpa's Country Fried Breakfast appears to be the unhealthiest item on Cracker Barrel's breakfast menu. It might sound like a plate of batter-coated love with its choice between country-fried steak or breaded chicken tenders—but, at 1,500 calories, you might want to tell Grandpa that instead of ordering this breakfast, you'd rather try to live as long as he has. (Read These Eating Habits Are Wrecking Your Heart Health, Cardiologist Says.)
Your day might start off a little better with Cracker Barrel's Good Morning Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites, turkey sausage, sliced tomatoes, and fruit… all for around 300 calories.
IHOP
The IHOP Big Steak Omelette sounds, well, big; and the Bacon Temptation Omelette is said to be a tempting fan-favorite.
However, the Colorado Omelet is IHOP's most massive omelette indulgence. It comes packed with bacon, shredded beef, pork sausage, and ham… so perhaps it's no surprise the Colorado Omelette contains 1,250 calories, 98 grams of fat, and 2,700 milligrams of sodium.
Building your own IHOP omelette is the healthiest route. Alternatively, opting for either IHOP's Spinach & Mushroom or Chicken Fajita Omelet may help you stay under 1,000 calories, if you're mindful to select fresh fruit as a side instead of the higher-fat, processed hash browns, pancakes, or buttered toast.
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