12 Unhealthiest Things You Can Order At Olive Garden
Practically everything on the menu at Olive Garden can be considered an indulgence. But rather than eating piles of breadsticks in a blackout state, be warned: here are the 12 unhealthiest items on the chain's menu.
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00:00Practically everything on the menu at Olive Garden can be considered an indulgence,
00:04but rather than eating piles of breadsticks in a blackout state, be warned.
00:08Here are the 12 unhealthiest items on the chain's menu.
00:12While there are a few healthy-ish entrees available at Olive Garden — the herb-grilled
00:17salmon, for example, comes with broccoli and is a relatively low 610 calories — the appetizer
00:22menu pretty much entirely consists of unhealthy options. One of the unhealthiest Olive Garden
00:27appetizers is the Spinach Artichoke Dip, made with a cheese blend and served with flatbread
00:33crisps for dipping. An order of the Spinach Artichoke Dip consists of 1,160 calories,
00:3881 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol,
00:452,440 milligrams of sodium, 75 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of sugar.
00:51Oh, look at that! Burned a whole calorie.
00:53Of note, first and foremost, is its fat content, which exceeds the total amount of fat in many
00:58other items on the menu, including plenty of entrees. That gram of trans fat is important,
01:03too, given that many sources consider virtually any quantity of trans fat to be unsafe.
01:08Meanwhile, the sodium exceeds the daily recommended maximum of 2,300 milligrams per
01:13day, as per the FDA. All told, the Spinach Artichoke Dip's total number of calories,
01:18sodium, and carbs are quite high, especially considering this is intended to kick off a meal
01:23rather than make up the bulk of a lunch or dinner.
01:27Another Olive Garden appetizer that stands out for its relatively unhealthy nature is
01:31the Shrimp Frito Misto. In addition to shrimp, Olive Garden's take on the tempura-like dish
01:36includes fried onions and bell peppers, plus marinara and spicy ranch sauces for dipping.
01:41One order of the Shrimp Frito Misto contains 1,280 calories, 79 grams of fat,
01:475 grams of saturated fat, 240 milligrams of cholesterol, 5,010 milligrams of sodium,
01:54101 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of sugar. The one redeeming nutritional quality of
01:59this item is that it provides a sizable dose of protein, courtesy of the shrimp,
02:03totaling 41 grams. However, this is also the single saltiest item on the menu,
02:07appetizer or otherwise, more than double the FDA maximum.
02:11So much sodium. How is she still alive?
02:15Given that Olive Garden offers a pretty robust selection of sodium-rich foods,
02:19this one fact single-handedly earns the Shrimp Frito Misto a spot among the unhealthiest items
02:24on the menu. Meatballs Parmigiana, another appetizer, consists of meatballs tossed in
02:29breadcrumbs, then baked in cheese and marinara sauce. It's worth noting that virtually every
02:34item on the Olive Garden menu with Parmigiana in its name is an unhealthy choice. The eggplant
02:39Parmigiana, for example, includes 20 grams of sugar, which is the most of any non-dessert or
02:44drink on the menu. It's the Meatballs Parmigiana appetizer, however, that trumps all other
02:49Parmigianas for its unhealthiness.
02:51"...meatballs."
02:52In total, the Meatballs Parmigiana contain 1,040 calories, 83 grams of fat, 40 grams of saturated
02:59fat, 3.5 grams of trans fat, 145 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,800 milligrams of sodium,
03:0627 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of sugar. The two primary reasons this dish makes for such
03:12an unhealthy choice are its quantity of sodium and its trans fat content.
03:16"...too high in trans fats."
03:18That 3.5 grams of trans fat is the most in any single item on the standard Olive Garden menu.
03:23Since health experts recommend avoiding trans fat altogether, and since the type of fat you're eating
03:28matters more than you think, that's reason enough to consider the Meatballs Parmigiana
03:32particularly unhealthy.
03:34Like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Olive Garden's breadsticks are among the chain's most
03:39iconic food items. A small order comes with two breadsticks, and a large order comes with four.
03:44One way to spruce up those breadsticks is with an order of dipping sauce. Typically,
03:48that's a choice of marinara, five-cheese marinara, or alfredo. As a general rule,
03:53bread and sauce is never going to be healthy, but the large alfredo dipping
03:56sauce with breadsticks in particular is one of the unhealthiest dishes at Olive Garden.
04:01"[Burps and sniffs food.] Get alfredo sauce!"
04:05Combining the nutritional content of a large order of alfredo sauce with the nutritional
04:10content of a breadstick, multiplied by four, results in a combined 1,390 calories,
04:1591 grams of fat, 54 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 285 milligrams of cholesterol,
04:222,320 milligrams of sodium, 111 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of sugar.
04:28Calorically, one large order of alfredo dipping sauce is just about equivalent to an entree.
04:34Plus, it's higher in carbs than many of the chain's pasta dishes, and higher in saturated
04:38fat than practically all other non-alfredo items on the Olive Garden menu. Combined with
04:43significant quantities of cholesterol and sodium, plus a gram of trans fat,
04:48there are ample reasons that the large alfredo dipping sauce is noteworthy for its unhealthfulness.
04:54The single unhealthiest Olive Garden side is the chicken and gnocchi soup,
04:58consisting of chicken, spinach, and dumplings in a cream-based broth.
05:01Is that gnocchi?
05:02Yes, your favorite!
05:03I love gnocchi!
05:04I know!
05:05One bowl totals 230 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 55 milligrams of
05:12cholesterol, 1,290 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of sugar.
05:18While most of those quantities aren't noteworthy in isolation,
05:21it's a different story when you calculate them per calorie of soup.
05:25Factoring 1,290 into 230 results in 5.6 grams of sodium per calorie. When they're likewise
05:32counted per calorie, those quantities of cholesterol, carbs, and even sugar stand out,
05:37too. That side portion of chicken and gnocchi soup can sneak plenty of potentially undesirable
05:42macros into an already unhealthy meal.
05:45Of the many ways to order pasta at the Italian-American chain,
05:49the spaghetti with meat sauce entree accompanied by Italian sausage is among
05:53the tougher propositions for your health. One order of spaghetti with meat sauce and sausage
05:57totals 1,100 calories, 62 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 180 milligrams of cholesterol,
06:042,190 milligrams of sodium, 87 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of sugar.
06:10What's up with that? What's up with that?
06:12First of all, the dish's sodium and carb totals are on the higher end of the spectrum,
06:16contributing to its unhealthfulness. But what's most nutritionally notable is its
06:21quantity of sugar, which is significantly higher than that of all but one savory item
06:26on the Olive Garden menu. An amount of sugar that's arguably closer to a small dessert than
06:30a typical meal — one serving of three Oreos contains 14 grams of sugar, for example — earns
06:35the spaghetti with meat sauce and sausage its spot on this list.
06:39The Olive Garden Alfredo sauce serves as the backbone of a variety of entrees,
06:44from a straightforward fettuccine alfredo to a seafood alfredo made with shrimp and scallops.
06:48The least healthy of all the alfredo-based entrees is surely the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo,
06:53which consists of cheese tortelloni, a stuffed pasta similar to the more common tortellini,
06:58baked in alfredo sauce, extra cheese, and breadcrumbs served with grilled chicken on top.
07:04Gee, that sounds like a lot.
07:05A full portion contains 1,980 calories, 131 grams of fat,
07:1176 grams of saturated fat, 2.5 grams of trans fat, 650 milligrams of cholesterol,
07:183,720 milligrams of sodium, 95 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of sugar.
07:24First and foremost, this is the single highest-calorie item on the menu,
07:28practically equaling the 2,000-calorie daily limit that the FDA recommends for adults.
07:33It's also the item on the Olive Garden menu with the most fat, the most saturated fat,
07:37and the most cholesterol. Plus, its hefty quantity of sodium is second
07:41only to the Shrimp Frito Misto. Given such excesses in multiple categories,
07:45the Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo earns its rather dubious spot on this list handily.
07:51At Olive Garden, carbonara refers to a cream-based sauce made with bacon and cheese,
07:55forgoing the raw egg yolk that occasionally sits atop a classic pasta carbonara.
08:00Olive Garden's ravioli carbonara is particularly noteworthy for its unhealthfulness,
08:04which is unsurprising given that it consists of cheese ravioli coated in carbonara, then baked.
08:10A plate of ravioli carbonara adds up to 1,390 calories, 104 grams of fat, 63 grams of saturated
08:17fat, 2.5 grams of trans fat, 325 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,660 milligrams of sodium,
08:2563 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of sugar.
08:28What's cholesterol?
08:29Cholesterol and fat are the most important metrics in this case,
08:32both of which are unmatched by the majority of items on the Olive Garden menu. Of course,
08:36its non-negligible quantity of trans fat and a huge dose of sodium are significant, too.
08:43Olive Garden gives diners the option to customize a pasta order. Overall,
08:47four pasta shapes, four sauces, and six toppings are on offer in the
08:50create-your-own-pasta section of the menu. Technically, all six toppings can be added
08:55to a single order, and doing so would result in what may well be the single
08:59unhealthiest Olive Garden menu item. But if we're more realistic and assume that the
09:03vast majority of customers limit themselves to one topping, rigatoni with creamy mushroom
09:08sauce and meatballs becomes the unhealthiest combination without crossing over into stumped
09:12eating territory. Adding up nutritional data for rigatoni pasta, the chain's creamy mushroom
09:17sauce and an order of three meatballs results in 1,780 calories, 133 grams of fat, 73.5 grams of
09:25saturated fat, 4 grams of trans fat, 315 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,160 milligrams of sodium,
09:33103 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of sugar. Notably, combining the trans fat content of
09:39the creamy mushroom sauce with the trans fat in three meatballs results in a higher total
09:43quantity than what's in any of Olive Garden's prefab menu items.
09:47There's too many trans fats. Those are the best fats.
09:52Olive Garden's dinner menu features a dish called the Tour of Italy,
09:55which includes portions of meaty lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, and chicken parmigiana.
10:00Unsurprisingly, this mash-up of three indulgent Italian-American staples isn't all that healthy.
10:06One Tour of Italy will set diners back 1,550 calories, 97 grams of fat, 50 grams of saturated
10:12fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 325 milligrams of cholesterol, 3,220 milligrams of sodium,
10:2099 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of sugar. Virtually every single one of these numbers
10:25is high by any consideration, which will hardly come as a surprise given the unhealthfulness of
10:30just about every alfredo pasta and parmigiana dish on the Olive Garden menu. Overall,
10:35the Tour of Italy holds the ambiguous distinction of containing excessive and unhealthy quantities
10:40in just about every relevant nutritional category.
10:43It's super bad for you.
10:45Most desserts are low in nutritional value, high in indulgence, and ultimately extraneous,
10:50though we won't tell you not to enjoy an occasional treat. Even so, the new chocolate
10:54lasagna stands out as the single unhealthiest item on Olive Garden's dessert menu. Compositionally,
11:00it's a sort of cake slice that consists of standard chocolate cake,
11:03chocolate mousse, and wafers layered under chocolate sauce.
11:06Mmm. Sugar, sugar, sugar. Nope. Oh, why not? I'll splurge.
11:12A new chocolate lasagna contains 980 calories, 58 grams of fat, 27 grams of saturated fat,
11:18140 milligrams of cholesterol, 630 milligrams of sodium, 116 grams of carbs, and 86 grams of sugar.
11:26Most notably, that quantity of sugar is the highest of any menu item,
11:30other than a full pitcher of sangria. It's also the dessert with the most fat,
11:34saturated fat, and sodium. Meanwhile, its calorie and carb totals are second only to
11:39the warm Italian donuts with chocolate sauce. So while skipping dessert is obviously the healthiest
11:44possible choice, pretty much anything other than the new chocolate lasagna will still make for a
11:48healthier dessert option. Between a few different sangrias, a variety of cocktails, some fruit
11:54juices, and standard sodas, Olive Garden offers customers a relatively robust selection of sugary
11:59drinks.
12:00Let's, like, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, get kinked at the Times Square Olive Garden,
12:03and get our pictures taken with a human statue.
12:05Like desserts, virtually all sugary drinks can be considered unhealthy for adding sugar and
12:10calories to a meal with little to no nutritional value. The drink that most stands out for its
12:15unhealthfulness at Olive Garden is the Italian Margherita, consisting of silver Jose Cuervo
12:20tequila, triple sec, and amaretto. A glass of the Italian Margherita totals 380 calories,
12:2630 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbs, and 49 grams of sugar. Simply put, those calorie,
12:32sodium, carb, and sugar quantities are all the highest of any proprietary Olive Garden drink,
12:37rivaled only by pure fruit juices that at least offer some nutritional benefits in addition to
12:42their doses of sodium and or sugar. Even just ordering a glass of white wine would lower those
12:46numbers by at least half, if not more, making the Italian Margherita an especially unhealthy
12:52drink choice.