Chili's "Quesadilla Explosion" salad is worse for you than a Big Mac with fries and a Coca-Cola.
The salad contains 1,430 calories, according to nutritional data from the company. By comparison, a Big Mac meal with medium fries and a Coke contains 1,120 calories.
According to Chili's menu, this salad contains chicken breast, shredded cheese, tomatoes, house-made corn and black bean salsa, tortilla strips, ancho-chile ranch sauce, citrus-balsamic dressing - and a three-cheese quesadilla topping it all off.
The salad (which is something of a misnomer, given how it really just a quesadilla) contains exorbitant amounts of sodium and fat. Worse, it even a contains trace of the recently-banned trans fat. Just take a look at the nutritional data, which Chili's provides:
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This "salad" exceeds the FDA's 2013 daily recommended intake of fat (65 g), saturated fat (20 g), sodium (2400 mg), and protein (50g).
Sodium is something to be concerned about in particular. Even if 2,400 mg of salt represents 100% of one's daily recommended maximum sodium intake, the FDA recommends that people aim for less than 2,300 mg. In fact, The American Heart Association recommends an intake of only 1,500 mg of sodium (save for athletes or others who lose significant amount of sweat), as a diet high in sodium is linked to high blood pressure. The FDA notes that high blood pressure can lead to kidney disease, stroke, heart disease, and potentially heart failure.
People who are watching what they eat might think choosing a "salad" is safe, but it's critical to pay attention to nutritional values first.