A traditional St. Patrick’s Day breakfast of corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and soda bread is a fairly balanced meal, if a little high in carbs and soda bread. It’s also a much healthier choice than a lot of the other St. Patrick’s Day foods and dishes currently on the menu at a number of chain restaurants. These foods may be green, but they are not exactly good for you! So, if you plan to splurge today, go ahead and enjoy the real Irish deal, not these unhealthy options!
Mint Oreo Creme Donut from Dunkin’ Donuts: This dessert disguised as breakfast is sort of like Ben and Jerry’s Mint Cookie Ice Cream, only in donut form. The bakers at this largely Eastern and Central chain start with a yeast donut, cover it with mint frosting and bit of Oreo cookies, and top it off with a heaping helping of frosting in the center. The thing weighs in at 400 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 9 grams of saturated fat–or about 45% of your recommended daily allowance.
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake: We’ve written about this minty shake before, but here’s a review: The small 16 oz. size “drink” has 550 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, and 1 gram of trans fat. Yikes! But that doesn’t mean that all peppermint flavored shakes will do in your diet. We made our own that tastes even better than the fast-food version and is a lot healthier too. You’ll love the super simple recipe.
Sonic Cheeseburger: What’s the St. Paddy’s Day twist with these burgers? We have no idea. But Sonic, the drive-thru fast-food chain that’s popular in the midwest, is selling its cheeseburgers for half price all day. We’re not convinced you should even order one, let alone two: Each burger contains 710 calories (without mayo or ketchup) plus 43 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, and 1.5 grams of trans fats. Even if each burger costs around $2 today, that’s 85% of your recommended daily allowance of saturated fat!
Photos via Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, and Sonic
Also Read:
Low-Calorie Irish Beers for St. Patricks Day on a Diet
How to Make Irish Soda Bread for St. Patricks Day