You Should Think Twice Before Eating This Burger At Ruby Tuesday

No one really goes to Ruby Tuesday because they think they'll be blown away by a wealth of healthy dinner options, but you do expect a casual dining chain like Ruby Tuesday to offer some relatively not-that-bad menu items. And that's exactly the case. You can find some decently healthy options on the Ruby Tuesday menu if you're trying to stick to a heart-healthy or low-cal diet, such as the grilled salmon, chicken fresco, or the six-ounce sirloin steak. However, you'll want to tread lightly if you're in the mood for a burger, as Ruby Tuesday offers one burger in particular that you'll want to think twice about before placing your order.

The Smokehouse Burger features a large ground beef patty topped with fried onion rings, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onion. It's all piled high on a brioche bun. You can even order a version that comes with a mini burger atop the regular Smokehouse Burger. At first glance, it doesn't seem like it would be that much more unhealthy than the Ruby Tuesday classic burger, but there's a big difference between the two.

The Ruby Tuesday Smokehouse Burger contains 980 calories, 54 grams of fat (about 70 percent of the suggested daily value), 20 grams of saturated fat (nearly 100 percent of the suggested daily value), 2 grams of trans fat, (which you're not supposed to eat at all), and 1,700 milligrams of sodium (about 75 percent of the suggested daily value). And that's before you even add any fries or another side, a soda, appetizer, or dessert. If you add a side of french fries to the meal, you're up to 1,400 calories, 15 percent over your suggested daily value for saturated fat, 42 percent over your suggested daily value for sodium, and at about half the suggested daily value for cholesterol.

For a more heart-healthy option, you could sacrifice the barbecue sauce and onion rings and order the Ruby Tuesday classic burger. You'd still be eating more than 600 calories, but that's far better than 980. Overall, though, if you're watching your fat intake, sodium levels, or cholesterol, you might want to simply stick to Ruby Tuesday's grilled salmon.