A recent study suggests that eating any red meat at all, whether a 16 oz. T-bone or a slice of lean pork roast (not “the other white meat” for these purposes), comes with a risk of premature death. A single 3-ounce serving of steak daily, for example, was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the study. Choose processed red meat, such as bacon or a hot dog, and that risk climbs to 20%.
The fact that most casual restaurant fare is laden with dietary dangers is nothing new, but in light of the new findings, that bacon burger with fries might as well come with a self-stamped toe tag. For our list of the deadliest red-meat options, we considered beef and pork entrées from chain restaurants which provide nutrition information, with a limit of three entrées per restaurant. Each entrée was ranked for calories, saturated fat, and sodium; cumulative ties were broken by total calorie count.