The 50 Fattiest Foods in the States (Part 1/5)

By Sarah Klein

Traditional American fare—just like the American waistline—is looking more than a little pudgy these days.

Even though some states enjoy healthier reputations than others (Yes, Colorado, we mean you), no state is completely guilt-free when it comes to dishes with huge portion sizes, super-high calorie counts, or sky-high fat content.

So if you want to sample some of these regional favorites on your next road trip, your best bet may be to minimize your portion size.


1) Alabama: Bacon-wrapped meatloaf

With the second-highest obesity rate in the country—behind only neighboring Mississippi—you’d expect to find some fattening culprits in the deep-fried-bacon-loving south. And Chef Kevin Layton of Greer’s Market, in Mobile, does not disappoint with his bacon-wrapped meatloaf recipe. “People ask for it on a weekly basis,” he told WKRG News in 2008.

Ingredients: Meatloaf made with ground beef, onion, bell pepper, celery, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings, then wrapped in bacon.

Fat content: One 3-ounce serving of 80% lean meatloaf has roughly 14 grams of fat. Each slice of bacon will cost you an additional 3 grams of fat.


2) Alaska: Eskimo Ice Cream

Also known as Eskimo Ice Cream, akutaq, (pronounced agoodik or agooduk) is a classic native dish that is still popular today. Traditionally, women made a batch of the frosty treat when the men returned with a freshly killed polar bear or seal. Today, modern versions are usually prepared with Crisco, but traditional recipes called for meat and fat from caribou, moose, bears, seals, and fish.


Ingredients: Reindeer fat, seal oil, salmonberries, blackberries

Fat content: It’s hard to estimate without a known serving size of this native treat. But consider this: An average serving of reindeer fat packs a whopping 91 grams of fat. A different version made with fish, berries, and seal oil contains 9 grams of fat.


3) Arizona: Quadruple Bypass Burger

The Grand Canyon State takes celebrating fatty foods to a whole new level at the Heart Attack Grill. Patrons weighing over 350 pounds eat for free. The Quadruple Bypass Burger—estimated by some to be worth 8,000 calories—is at least refreshingly honest about its potential impact on your health.

Ingredients: Four beef patties, eight slices of cheese, tomato, onions, sauce, on a bun

Fat content: Four patties alone clock in at around 60 grams of fat, which is just about the upper limit of 65 grams that the USDA recommends for the average woman eating 2,000 calories a day.


4) Arkansas: Catfish

The south is notorious for frying just about anything. For a traditional southern fish fry, Arkansas catfish is an old standby. When you consider that this dish is often served with hush puppies, another southern fried favorite, you can bet you’re reeling in quite a bit of fat along with your fish.

Ingredients: Catfish, cornmeal, flour, eggs, seasonings

Fat content: This dish is faux fried in the oven and still packs a whopping 25 grams of fat per serving.


5) California: In-N-Out Burger Double Double

Golden State residents are known for their fit bodies, gym-sculpted abs, and love for In-N-Out Burger. This West Coast drive-thru chain uses fresh ingredients, but its Double Double should also be known for its fat content, nearly double the fat in a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger.

Ingredients: Two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, two slices of American cheese, and spread

Fat content: 41 grams. A McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger contains a comparably reasonable 23 grams of fat.


6) Colorado: Jack-N-Grill’s 7-pound breakfast burritos

While this mountainous state is well known for its healthy reputation—it is the state with the lowest obesity rate in the country—it is home to one of the most giant burritos of all time. Finishing one of Jack-N-Grill’s 7-pound breakfast burritos is such a feat it was featured on an episode of the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food.

Ingredients: 7 potatoes, 12 eggs, a pound of ham, a whole onion, cheese, and chili.

Fat content: A pound of ham and 12 eggs alone have nearly 100 grams of fat, almost twice a woman's upper daily limit for fat, and that’s not counting the fat in the cheese and chili.


7) Connecticut: 2-foot-long hot dog

Man v. Food also made an appearance at Doogie’s, a hot dog joint outside Hartford. Being a local favorite in Connecticut, the hot dog is available in over 24 places in Hartford alone. Doogie’s has taken the diet-buster to a new level with its 2-foot-long hot dog smothered in half a pound of additional toppings.

Ingredients: 2-foot-long pork and beef hot dog, three rolls, onions, peppers, chili, cheddar cheese sauce, and bacon

Fat content: The average foot-long hot dog will set you back about 24 grams of fat, 10 grams of it saturated. But this is double that, plus it has bacon, chili, and cheddar cheese.


8) Delaware: Deep-fried pastry

The First State is known for a deep-fried pastry appetizer stuffed with crabmeat and cheese, similar to the Chinese appetizer crab Rangoon.

Ingredients: Recipes vary, but most include cooked crab or imitation crabmeat, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, seasonings, and oil for frying.

Fat content: Crab is relatively low-fat fare, but many recipes are heavy on butter and mayonnaise. One small puff can have anywhere from 3 grams of fat to 8 grams of fat, and richer recipes can pack as many as 20 grams of fat per serving.


9) Florida: Empanadas

The South American influence on Floridian cuisine is impossible to miss. Empanadas are folded meat pies served across the country, but they are particularly popular in the southern part of the Sunshine State.

Ingredients: The dough is made with lard. The filling is up to the chef, but can range from cheese to veggies to assorted meats.

Fat content: Various recipes for empanadas place them at around 10 to 22 grams of fat each. Depending on what you choose to put inside, an empanada can slide around on the nutritional value scale. Still, as the dough is usually made with lard, it’s never a low-fat choice.


10) Georgia: Luther Burger

The story behind the Luther Burger is murky. But the general consensus is that this monstrosity was invented at a suburban bar in Decatur, Ga., and named after R&B legend (and diabetic) Luther Vandross. In 2008 Paula Deen of the Food Network took it one step further by topping it off with a fried egg.

Ingredients: Ground-beef patty, topped with cheese and bacon between two donuts instead of a bun

Fat content: The two Krispy Kreme glazed donuts are worth 24 grams of fat and the patty is another 16.


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From health.com

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