Drinks to Avoid at Big Chain Restaurants

We're all guilty of reaching for a snack or drink and not putting much thought into what we're consuming and it can be even worse when we eat out. In fact, according to the Calorie Control Council, the majority of Americans can't accurately estimate the amount of calories they consume in a day. Should you dine out, especially at certain chain restaurants, odds are, you're ingesting more calories than you realize but you may be shocked to see where they're coming from. A surprising number of calories come from beverages which is why these are drinks to avoid at big chain restaurants.

While most diners generally know what they should and should not be eating, when it comes to beverages, it's not always as obvious and many are left perplexed. Some drinks can be just as bad, if not more, than the entire meal. What may be surprising is that several other drinks that sound rather healthy – like flavored lemonades – made the list. (Here are 10 reasons you will never want to drink diet soda again.)

To determine drinks to avoid at big chain restaurants, 24/7 consulted nutrition charts on the chain websites and began with viewing the calorie count of the largest size offered. When more than one item had the same number of calories, we factored in sodium and total sugar.

Here are drinks to avoid at big chain restaurants:

• Beverage: Apple Juice (regular)
• Calorie count: 240
• Sodium (mg): 10
• Total sugar (g): 52

• Beverage: Wild Strawberry Cream Delight Freeze (large)
• Calorie count: 240
• Sodium (mg): 55
• Total sugar (g): 58

• Beverage: Fanta Strawberry (regular)
• Calorie count: 300
• Sodium (mg): 95
• Total sugar (g): 81

• Beverage: Code Red Mountain Dew (large)
• Calorie count: 430
• Sodium (mg): 125
• Total sugar (g): 115

• Beverage: Blue Sky Lemonade (large)
• Calorie count: 440
• Sodium (mg): 135
• Total sugar (g): 108

• Beverage: Blueberry Pomegranate Lemonade (large)
• Calorie count: 450
• Sodium (mg): 45
• Total sugar (g): 110

• Beverage: Tropicana Fruit Punch (giant)
• Calorie count: 453
• Sodium (mg): 94
• Total sugar (g): 120

• Beverage: Barq's Root Beer (large)
• Calorie count: 460
• Sodium (mg): 140
• Total sugar (g): 116

• Beverage: Barq's Red Cream Soda (large)
• Calorie count: 460
• Sodium (mg): 180
• Total sugar (g): 119

• Beverage: White Chocolate Mocha (without whipped cream), 2% milk (venti)
• Calorie count: 510
• Sodium (mg): 330
• Total sugar (g): 74

• Beverage: High-C Fruit Punch (large)
• Calorie count: 530
• Sodium (mg): 115
• Total sugar (g): 132

• Beverage: McFlurry with M&Ms (regular)
• Calorie count: 640
• Sodium (mg): 200
• Total sugar (g): 83

• Beverage: Strawberry Shake (limited time offer) (large)
• Calorie count: 730
• Sodium (mg): 380
• Total sugar (g): 109

• Beverage: Cookies & Cream Milkshake (large)
• Calorie count: 750
• Sodium (mg): 580
• Total sugar (g): 97

• Beverage: Chocolate Malt (large)
• Calorie count: 920
• Sodium (mg): 780
• Total sugar (g): 166

• Beverage: Peppermint Mocha Swirl Frozen Coffee with Cream (large)
• Calorie count: 1170
• Sodium (mg): 280
• Total sugar (g): 182

• Beverage: Oreo Cookie Shake with Whipped Topping (large)
• Calorie count: 1170
• Sodium (mg): 560
• Total sugar (g): 105

• Beverage: Milkshake with Oreo Crème (regular)
• Calorie count: 1030
• Sodium (mg): 435
• Total sugar (g): 108

• Beverage: Peanut Butter Shake (large)
• Calorie count: 1200
• Sodium (mg): 1160
• Total sugars (g): 129

• Beverage: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Pie Blizzard (large)
• Calorie count: 1440
• Sodium (mg): 760
• Total sugars (g): 145