The Unhealthiest Olive Garden Order Dietitians Say to Avoid at All Costs

Olive Garden is one of the most popular chain restaurants in the country, serving up America-fied versions of favorite Italian dishes paired with all-you-can-eats soup or salad and breadsticks. With all the sauces, glutenous pasta and bread, breaded meats, and cheesy goodness, it's no secret that the eatery isn't the best option for those on a diet. However, some items on the menu are worse for your waistline than others. We asked a nutrition expert the question we are all dying to know the answer to: What is the number one unhealthiest Olive Garden order? Here's a hint: It happens to be the most popular one.

According to Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian and co-author of the Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies, the absolute unhealthiest item on the menu is the restaurant's trademark sampler, the Tour of Italy, offering "three OG classics all on one plate!" per the menu, "all with homemade sauces made fresh every morning."

Collingwood explains that the combo of Lasagna Classico, Chicken Parmigiana, and Fettuccine Alfredo is in no way going to help your diet. "All three are already calorie-heavy on their own," she points out. "Together, it's basically the triple threat of carbs, fat, and salt."

Here's the fine print: The Tour of Italy boasts 1,550 calories, 97 g fat, 33 g saturated fat, and 3,200 mg sodium—not including the soup or salad and breadsticks that accompany it.

Other unhealthy items that warrant a warning, according to Collingwood? Chicken Alfredo with about 1,480 calories and 94g of at. "That sauce is a creamy trap," she says. The Cheese Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce, with 1,200+ calories, is another one to stay away from, "loaded with saturated fat and sodium," she says. And, watch out for the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno with 1,220 calories. "Delicious, but definitely a cheese bomb," she says.

And, no matter what you order, "watch out for unlimited breadsticks and refills on creamy soups—they sneak up fast," Collingwood warns. "One breadstick is about 140 calories and 460mg of sodium, and who eats just one?"

Chicken and Gnocchi soup, for example, is 230 calories and 12 g of fat per bowl, while the Zuppa Toscano, the delicious, creamy potato and sausage soup, has about 220 calories. Again, most of us indulge in more than one bowl. And, keep in mind that just one serving of the famous salad, drenched in the restaurant's trademark dressing, is about 150 calories.