But Don't Nutritionists Say To Eat Fish Once a Week?

Men's Health just posted its 20 Worst Foods in America List and I'm very excited to say that Long John Silver's, my favorite restaurant, didn't make the list. The article did note that there are a whole bunch of deceptively unhealthy "healthy" foods, with dishonorable mention to a Blimpie Veggie Supreme. What a double whammy it must be for people who eat barely palatable "healthy" food, only to realize that they're actually killing themselves. Suckers! At least I when I poison myself I'm completely aware that I'm doing so.

But to be fair, I decided to run my favorite Long John Silver's Combination Platter #3 (yes, I actually know the number from the scores of times I've ordered it) which gives you:

• 2 Battered Fish (actually, let's make it 3 since I always add a piece of fish)
• 8 Battered Shrimp
• French Fries
• Cole Slaw

... against some of the meals which made the nutrition hall of shame for 2009. The Long John Silver's website has a handy nutrition calculator which makes this fairly easy. As an aside, I must be the first person in the history of the website to actually use this nutrition calculator. If you're eating in a place that specializes in deep-fried food, why would you even bother? It's like offering non-alcoholic beer at a frat party or having a urinal in the women's rest room.

Okay, so here are the results. Let's compare it against three foods listed in the article and see how it fared:

Suburban Family Guy's Choice
Long John Silvers Combination Platter #3
1640 calories (better than the burger and shake)
101 g fat (23 g saturated fat) (better than the burger and shake)
4,470 mg sodium (better than the burger and shake)
130 g carbohydates

Worst "Healthy" Sandwich
Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12")
1,106 calories
56 g fat (33 g saturated fat)
2,831 mg sodium
96 g carbohydrates

Worst Burger
Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
2,040 calories
150 g fat (53 g saturated)
110 g protein
4,900 mg sodium

The Worst Food of 2009
Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake
2,600 calories
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
263 g sugars
1,700 mg sodium

Okay, a couple of conclusions:

1. I'm doing a good job of watching my saturated fat.
2. My diet is NutriSystem-rific compared to the poor saps who are eating the Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing or the Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake.
3. I now know why after eating at Long John Silver's I wake up twice at night desperate for a glass of water.
4. I'm glad that I can get Lipitor for free.