You Should Think Twice Before Eating This Chicken Dish At Ruby Tuesday

Would you knowingly choose a meal that requires five hours of walking to burn it off? Or almost three hours of biking? Choose Ruby Tuesday's hand-breaded buttermilk chicken tenders and that's exactly the exercise required to break even (via national.restaurant).

Founded in 1972 by a University of Tennessee student, Ruby Tuesday got its name from the popular Rolling Stones song written by Keith Richards (via Restaurant Business). For almost 50 years, the casual restaurant has prided itself on unrivaled attention to detail, exceedingly fresh food of the highest quality, unwavering, gracious hospitality, and a burning desire for you to leave with a smile (via Ruby Tuesday). Choose wisely, and their wishes will be granted. Select a meal like the buttermilk chicken tenders, and you may have to think again.

One serving of Ruby Tuesday's hand-breaded buttermilk chicken tenders contains 1,069 calories, 56 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 94 grams of carbohydrates, 36 grams of protein, and 3,268 milligrams of sodium (via My Food Diary). These numbers aren't surprising, considering the joint double dips the chicken tenders in a rich buttermilk batter, deep-fries them in oil, and serves them with fries, coleslaw, and honey mustard (via Ruby Tuesday). Eat This Not That highlights that the meal is nothing more than a plate of fried chicken and fries.

When it comes to your calorie needs, age, height, sex, overall health, and activity level play a role, but the U.S. Department of Health states that adults generally require between 1,600 to 3,000 calories per day (via Medical News Today). You don't need a math degree to realize that ordering the chicken tenders might eat up half of someone's daily calorie requirement and up to two-thirds if their calorie needs are on the lower end of the spectrum.

When it comes to fat, the meal dishes up 56 grams, or 86 percent of your daily value (via My Food Diary). The Cleveland Clinic states that adults should consume 44 to 77 grams of fat per day, which is 20 to 35 percent of your total calories based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Down the chicken tenders and you may have reached or exceeded your daily fat allotment in one meal.

In terms of sodium, the FDA recommends 2,300 milligrams per day for adults with healthy hearts and normal blood pressure. The American Heart Association and Mayo Clinic recommend 1,500 milligrams per day for folks with heart issues and/or high blood pressure (via Hacking Salt). Since the chicken tenders contain over 3,200 milligrams of sodium, they clearly tip the scales in the salt category, heart conditions or not.

Select healthier options from the Ruby Tuesday menu and you can enjoy a hearty, satisfying meal and leave with that much-sought-after smile. Verywell Fit suggests the "Fit & Trim" meals, which are all 700 calories or less when ordered with the grilled zucchini and rice on the side.

Ruby Tuesday also offers "Smart Eating Choices" and Dr. Gourmet recommends the Creole catch, grilled chicken, grilled sirloin, baked potato, steamed broccoli, sugar snap peas, and baby portabella mushrooms. SparkPeople claims that opting for a Smart Eating turkey burger wrap or grilled chicken wrap over a burger slashes calories and fat in half and, to dodge even more calories and fat, ask for dishes without sauce (or get them on the side).

Although the salad bar may seem like the healthiest choice, Hungry Girl proclaims that you still need to be shrewd. Go heavy on the steamed and fresh vegetables and top them with the balsamic vinaigrette or lite ranch.

Looking for something keto diet-friendly? Women's Health Magazine uncovered nine delicious, keto-friendly dishes with 11 grams of carbohydrates or fewer, from those that are rich, creamy, and cheesy, to meals that are more focused on protein and vegetables.