The Unhealthiest Shake You Can Buy At Sonic

The milkshake is undisputably the crown jewel on Sonic's menu, as Thrillist journalist, Lee Breslouer discovered the day in 2013 when he tried every single one of them. Breslouer loved that the fast-food chain prepared its peanut butter bacon shakes with "actual" bacon; he raved that the crumbled graham crackers on top of its coconut cream pie shake were "mad tasty;" and when he tried Sonic's peanut butter banana shake, he hit actual delirium. It tasted, he wrote, like "real peanut butter, real bananas, real chocolate unicorns ridden by baby bears on a sea of cream."

Sonic was, naturally, the first company to ever make a shake designed only for The Gram. Of course, it released "The Sonic Square Shake" at Coachella (via Market Watch). Where else? Milkshakes are Sonic's lifeblood. But if they're colossally great publicity for the company, they're equally bad for you. Don't shoot the messenger. Mashed talked exclusively to research neuroscientist Dr. Nicole Avena to help us look past the glitz and glam of Sonic's shakes and understand how drinking one might affect your body. Avena, who is an expert in the fields of nutrition, diet and addiction, and author of What to Feed Your Baby and Toddler, singled out Sonic's worst milkshake offender.

There's one Sonic shake that stands out as ruinously unhealthy. Sonic's Large Oreo Peanut Butter Shake, Dr. Nicole Avena told Mashed will cost you a shocking 1,720 calories, 104 grams of fat, and 111 grams of sugar. Don't believe her? Fast Food Nutrition confirms the stats. "This shake is one of the worst offenders in terms of calories and fat content compared to other popular decadent fast food shakes," Avena warned Mashed. And that's not only because 1,720 calories are close to the total amount of daily calories permitted on a 2,000 calorie diet. It's also thanks to the 104 grams of fat that Sonic's Large Oreo Peanut Butter Shake contains. This "is significantly over the daily recommended amount," according to Avena. Also, turns out, "48 grams of [the milkshake's fat content] come from saturated fat, which is a type of fat that should be minimized in a healthy diet."

We know that wasn't easy to hear, but it's not even the hardest truth that Dr. Avena told. "It is easy to do a quick google search and find exactly how many calories, how much fat, and sugar is in the food you are buying," Avena chided Mashed. Taking Avena's lead, we did our own research. She's right. It's shockingly easy. Sonic's new Toasted S'mores Shake? That one that tastes like sweet campfire songs exploding in your mouth? A large rings in at an excruciating 1,710 calories (via Fast Food Nutrition). Again, don't shoot the messenger.