Some may argue that when dining out to eat, what you can get from the drink menu is more exciting than the food offerings. Seriously! Think about it—perhaps you're in the mood for a frozen fruity drink, a milkshake, a flavored lemonade, or even a cocktail—the possibilities are endless. As are your chances of consuming a ton of sugar in these restaurant drinks.
That's right—there are plenty of restaurant drinks that are loaded with the sweet stuff. And it's a shocking amount of sugar you're sipping on. There are some restaurant drinks with more sugar than four donuts! See, four Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donuts pack 40 grams of sugar, and there are some beverages you're having alongside your appetizer, entrée, and dessert that are just swimming in sugar. They may seem innocent, but don't let these drinks fool you.
So you can make a smart choice next time you're dining out at one of your favorite restaurants, we rounded up some of the biggest culprits. Here are the non-alcoholic restaurant drinks with more sugar than four donuts, ranked from bad to the absolute worst.
13
Olive Garden Classic Lemonade
PER 1 DRINK: 170 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 15 mg sodium, 44 g carbs (0 g fiber, 41 g sugar), 0 g protein
A refreshing glass of lemonade sounds like a great way to wash down those breadsticks and pasta while you're dining at Olive Garden, but it's going to cost you 41 grams of sugar. And if dessert is calling your name, you're in for a highly caloric and sugar-filled experience. No thanks!
12
Bob Evans Hot Chocolate
PER 1 DRINK: 320 calories, 9 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 300 mg sodium, 55 g carbs (2 g fiber, 44 g sugar), 4 g protein
There's nothing quite like some hot chocolate. It's just one of those comfort drinks you can't help but feel nostalgic when you're drinking it! But at Bob Evans, having a cup is going to cost you 44 grams of sugar—and if you happen to order this along with the Double Blueberry Hotcakes, you're consuming 122 grams of sugar. In one meal.
11
Uno Pizzeria & Grill Oreo Smoothie
PER 1 DRINK: 440 calories, 17 g fat (8 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 300 mg sodium, 69 g carbs (12 g fiber, 45 g sugar), 4 g protein
Uno Pizzeria & Grill named this drink the Oreo Smoothie and if it's a smoothie, it must be healthy, right? Nope, sorry! This blended cold drink is coming in at more than 400 calories and 45 grams of sugar. Avoid this, along with any of these highly caloric dishes
10
Longhorn Steakhouse Strawberry Lemonade
PER 1 DRINK: 200 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 15 mg sodium, 50 g carbs (0 g fiber, 46 g sugar), 0 g protein
A strawberry lemonade, again, sounds like a refreshing choice. But at Longhorn Steakhouse, sipping on one means you're consuming 46 grams of sugar.
9
Maggiano's Lemonade Raspberry
PER 1 DRINK: 3200 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 30 mg sodium, 52 g carbs (0 g fiber, 51 g sugar), 0 g protein
Starting to see a trend with these lemonades? They're just sugar bombs! At Maggiano's, the raspberry flavor is packing more sugar than 5 donuts.
8
TGI Friday's Cherry Limeade Slush
PER 1 DRINK: 240 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 15 mg sodium, 60 g carbs (0 g fiber, 54 g sugar), 0 g protein
TGI Friday's Cherry Limeade Slush is made up of Maraschino cherries, pomegranate, fresh lime and agave, and, you guessed it, lemonade. Together, this frozen beverage packs more than 50 grams of sugar.
7
Panera Bread Agave Lemonade
PER 1 DRINK, LARGE SIZE: 250 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 15 mg sodium, 67 g carbs (0 g fiber, 64 g sugar), 0 g protein
At Panera Bread, this lemonade is made with lemon juice, dried cane syrup, and agave nectar. This sounds quite lovely actually, but the beverage that is packing 64 grams of sugar. And there's nothing sweet about that.
6
IHOP Hershey's Chocolate Milkshake
PER 1 MILKSHAKE: 660 calories, 31 g fat (20 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 200 mg sodium, 84 g carbs (1 g fiber, 70 g sugar), 12 g protein
If you're thinking of drinking something sweet while you wait for your meal, or even to cap off your main course, you'll want to stay far away from IHOP's Hershey's Chocolate Milkshake.
5
Denny's Tropical Green Smoothie
PER 1 DRINK: 320 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 105 mg sodium, 81 g carbs (2 g fiber, 72 g sugar), 4 g protein
Denny's Topical Green Smoothie is rather mysterious, as it's described to be made with real fruit, juice, and nonfat yogurt. Harmless, right? Wrong! It's loaded up with more than 70 grams of sugar.
4
Applebee's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
PER 1 DRINK: 320 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 10 mg sodium, 79 g carbs (1 g fiber, 73 g sugar), 0 g protein
Ahh, the return of the frozen lemonade. At Applebee's, it's blended with ice and swirled strawberry puree, coming together for a drink that has more sugar than seven Krispy Kreme donuts.
3
Cheesecake Factory Frozen Iced Mango
PER 1 DRINK: 370 calories, 2 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 25 mg sodium, 88 g carbs (2 g fiber, 83 g sugar), 2 g protein
It's important to keep in mind the American Heart Association recommends that men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) of added sugar per day, while women should have no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day. So when you're at Cheesecake Factory, be sure to stay far away from the Frozen Iced Mango drink that is made of mango, tropical juices, a hint of coconut, and a raspberry puree swirl and oh yeah, has 83 grams of sugar.
2
Red Robin Root Beer Float
PER 1 DRINK, ADULT-SIZED: 580 calories, 15 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 250 mg sodium, 116 g carbs (0 g fiber, 110 g sugar), 7 g protein
When indulging at Red Robin, you might go for a burger and some fries, but if you really want to take things up a notch, you might decide to go for the nostalgic drink that is the root beer float. Well, think again! Here, that will cost you 100 grams of sugar, and the most dangerous part about it is that the drink is bottomless. Which, yes, means endless refills.
1
Outback Steakhouse Coco-Berry Smoothie
PER 1 DRINK: 630 calories, 16 g fat (15 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 210 mg sodium, 121 g carbs (0 g fiber, 113 g sugar), 2 g protein
If you didn't think it could get any worse, it does, thanks to this frozen drink from Outback Steakhouse. It's made up of coconut, pineapple juice, and strawberry puree—sounds kind of healthy, right? Sorry to disappoint, but only is it more than 600 calories, but this beverage has 113 grams of sugar. That is more than what you'll get from 10 Krispy Kreme donuts!
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