Sometimes you just can't make it into the kitchen to cook. Dr. Gourmet has reviewed over 1,000 common convenience foods, ingredients, and restaurant selections so that you know what's worth eating - and what's not. View the Index of all Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews
Just Tell Me What to Eat!
The Delicious 6-Week Weight Loss Plan for the Real World
Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP has counseled thousands of his patients on healthy, sustainable weight loss. Now he's compiled his best tips and recipes into a six-week plan for you to learn how to eat great food that just happens to be great for you.
Get the prescription for better health as well as healthy weight loss, including:
What to eat
How to cook it
When to eat it
What to eat at a restaurant
What to eat if you're in a hurry
and best of all....
Why eating great food is the best health decision you'll ever make.
Eating Healthier at Chain Restaurants
Chili's
If anyone wonders why there are so many health problems in America, they don't need to look much further than chain restaurants. "Fast Casual" restaurants, as they are known in the business, are amazingly bad for you and Chili's is the granddaddy of food that leads to illness and the shortening of your lifespan.
If you are reading this, it is possible that you care more about your health. It might be that you already know Chili's is bad for you, but you may not know just how bad. (If you are an executive at Chili's, shame on you for putting your patrons' health in harm's way. You should be ashamed of yourself.)
Sadly, there is a lot that you just can't even consider eating based on the outrageous amounts of sodium. The following entire categories on the menu are all well over 1,000 milligrams of sodium:
Texas Baby Back Ribs
Big Mouth Burgers
Crispers & More
For the Table
Fresh Mex
Kids Entrees
Kids Sides
Lunch Combos
Sandwiches w/o Fries
Smokehouse Combos
Steaks
You might think that the category Guiltless Grill might be a good choice, but as with most items on their menu none in the section contain less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Not sure who is "guiltless" here - maybe the leadership at Chili's who feel no guilt about you and how unhealthy their food is?
As with most fast casual restaurants you simply should not visit Chili's at all, ever, but you might get caught with no other option. If you do, the list below are choices that are a little bit healthier. Mind you, there are meals here that can't really be ones we recommend - again, mostly because of the amount of sodium. In order to have something to recommend, we actually set the bar a little higher, allowing over 700 milligrams of sodium, and there is still not a lot that are good choices - they're just better than the rest of the terrible food at Chili's.
The salads are pretty outrageous. We did include two composed salads with almost 1,200 milligrams of sodium apiece. This was a reluctant choice, but at least you can have some confidence in the result. Those choices are the Caribbean Salad with Chicken or Shrimp. Getting the dressing on the side and only adding as much as you really need will help.
Of all the choices, making yourself a veggie plate at Chili's might be the best choice. You could bring in the meal at around 1,000 milligrams of sodium and under 750 calories.
Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!
Timothy S. Harlan, MD, FACP, CCMS
Dr. Gourmet
| Cals | Fat (g) | Sod (mg) | Fiber (g) | |
| Fajitas Mix & Match Choose 2 or 3 | ||||
| Grilled Steak (1 portion) | 240 | 15 | 710 | 0 |
| Grilled Chicken (1 portion) | 140 | 3.5 | 710 | 0 |
| Seared Shrimp (1 portion) | 60 | 2 | 810 | 0 |
| All Fajitas Include | ||||
| All-Natural Corn Tortillas (4 each) | 210 | 2.5 | 20 | 5 |
| Side Rice | 160 | 4.5 | 480 | 1 |
| Salads As Served | ||||
| Caesar Salad | 240 | 19 | 410 | 2 |
| Caesar Salad (LC) | 190 | 17 | 290 | 1 |
| Caribbean Salad | 530 | 23 | 340 | 8 |
| Caribbean Salad w/ Grilled Chicken | 690 | 27 | 1180 | 8 |
| Caribbean Salad w/ Seared Shrimp | 600 | 25 | 1150 | 8 |
| Fresco Salad | 130 | 10 | 240 | 1 |
| Fresco Salad (LC) | 70 | 5 | 130 | 1 |
| House Salad (LC) w/o Dressing | 80 | 3.5 | 140 | 1 |
| House Salad w/o Dressing | 150 | 7 | 290 | 2 |
| Ancho Chile Ranch (1.5 fl oz) | 170 | 17 | 350 | 0 |
| Ancho Chile Ranch (2 fl oz) | 220 | 22 | 470 | 0 |
| Avocado Ranch (1.5 fl oz) | 140 | 14 | 260 | 1 |
| Avocado Ranch (2 fl oz) | 180 | 19 | 350 | 1 |
| Bleu Cheese (1.5 fl oz) | 270 | 29 | 280 | 0 |
| Bleu Cheese (2 fl oz) | 360 | 38 | 370 | 0 |
| Caesar (1.5 fl oz) | 220 | 23 | 240 | 0 |
| Caesar (2 fl oz) | 290 | 31 | 310 | 0 |
| Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette (1.5 fl oz) | 250 | 25 | 240 | 0 |
| Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette (2 fl oz) | 330 | 34 | 320 | 0 |
| Honey Lime (1.5 fl oz) | 200 | 17 | 220 | 0 |
| Honey Lime (2 fl oz) | 270 | 23 | 290 | 0 |
| Honey Lime Vinaigrette (1.5 fl oz) | 130 | 12 | 230 | 0 |
| Honey Lime Vinaigrette (2 fl oz) | 180 | 17 | 310 | 0 |
| Honey Mustard (1.5 fl oz) | 200 | 18 | 360 | 0 |
| Honey Mustard (2 fl oz) | 270 | 24 | 480 | 0 |
| Ranch (1.5 fl oz) | 170 | 18 | 300 | 0 |
| Ranch (2 fl oz) | 230 | 24 | 400 | 0 |
| Santa Fe (1.5 fl oz) | 210 | 22 | 530 | 0 |
| Santa Fe (2 fl oz) | 280 | 30 | 710 | 0 |
| Thousand Island (1.5 fl oz) | 200 | 20 | 390 | 0 |
| Thousand Island (2 fl oz) | 270 | 26 | 520 | 0 |
| Our Good Sides As Served | ||||
| Asparagus & Garlic Roasted Tomatoes | 70 | 1.5 | 340 | 4 |
| Coleslaw | 240 | 19 | 260 | 1 |
| Mexican Rice | 160 | 4.5 | 480 | 1 |
| Roasted Street Corn | 430 | 28 | 320 | 3 |
| Steamed Broccoli | 40 | 0 | 250 | 4 |
| Sweet Corn on the Cob | 220 | 7 | 360 | 3 |
| Soups & Chili As Served | ||||
| Clam Chowder - Bowl | 370 | 26 | 780 | 1 |
| Clam Chowder - Cup | 190 | 13 | 390 | 1 |
| Loaded Baked Potato - Cup | 240 | 16 | 700 | 1 |
| Southwest Chicken - Cup | 120 | 5 | 830 | 1 |
| Extras | ||||
| Avocado Slices | 80 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| Fresh Guacamole - Small Side | 130 | 11 | 320 | 5 |
Posted: September 28, 2020