Best & Worst Menu Items at Texas Roadhouse
										An RD reveals which healthier Texas Roadhouse menu items are worth indulging in—and which to skip.

Best & Worst Menu Items at Texas Roadhouse An RD reveals which healthier Texas Roadhouse menu items are worth indulging in—and which to skip.

Texas Roadhouse is a restaurant chain that is best known for its steaks, ribs, and other “made-from-scratch” American cuisine for a great value. The original concept is said to have derived from a sketch on a cocktail napkin by Kent Taylor, who went on to open the first Texas Roadhouse location in Clarksville, Indiana, back in 1993. Today, Texas Roadhouse is considered to be one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the country; currently, there are reportedly over 600 locations nationwide. Given that “everything is bigger in Texas,” it’s no surprise that the Texas Roadhouse menu offers a mega-selection of food items divided into 10 sections, with meals that run the gamut between somewhat health-conscious and not-so-healthy options.

If you’re trying to eat healthier or shed pounds, knowing which Texas Roadhouse menu items are on the healthier side and which others might pose obstacles to achieving your weight loss goals will put you in the best position possible to relax and enjoy your meal. To help make navigating the Texas Roadhouse menu easier for you, we’ve rounded up some of the best and worst items you’ll find based on the nutrition information of each item. You’ll definitely want to keep this roundup on hand before heading to your local Texas Roadhouse.

Read on to learn which Texas Roadhouse menu items are among the healthiest the chain offers and which others you’re better off passing on. And for more healthy eating tips to simplify your next visit to a beloved chain restaurant, be sure to check out The 9 Healthiest Dishes to Order at Red Lobster.

Starters

RELATED: The Best Low-Calorie Dinners at 10 Popular Chain Restaurants

This protein-packed starter has a reasonable amount of calories and saturated fat, plus it provides a healthy dose of fiber from the beans. Many folks don’t get enough beans daily and miss out on their many nutrients and nutritional benefits, including making you feel satisfied.

Although you may think you’re ordering healthy off the salad section, this bad boy is just too much. The calories are 67% of your daily needs (based on a 2,000-calorie diet), saturated fat is 125% above the recommended daily max, and sodium is 125% of the recommended daily max. You may think the 71 grams of protein is fabulous, but it’s too much. Your body can’t utilize this much protein at once—so it’s just way overboard.

Salads

This salad includes fresh greens, cheddar cheese, tomato, eggs, and croutons with your choice of dressing. It’s a lower-calorie way to get in your veggies. To decrease some of the saturated fat, you can take out the cheese or egg—believe me, you will get plenty of protein in your main, so focus on the veggies for this salad.

RELATED: The Best & Worst Fast-Food Salads

Steaks & Ribs

This order consists of 20 ounces of ribeye with the bone. Given that a standard portion of cooked beef is 3 or 4 ounces, the portion is just too much, and the nutrition information reflects this as the calories, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium are just well above “in moderation” for a single meal or even a single day. If you’re craving a ribeye, share or take half home for the next day (or two!)

A lean cut of beef in a reasonable portion provides 10 essential nutrients, including protein, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, zinc, selenium, niacin, riboflavin, phosphorus, and choline. Enjoy with veggies on the side.

This combo of steak and ribs is once again over the top with the portion size, and the nutrient information reflects it. It provides 75% of the daily calories (based on 2,000 calories), 230% of the recommended daily max of saturated, and 113% of the recommended daily max of sodium. It also provides artery-clogging trans fat, which is recommended to be as little as possible—which this isn’t.

RELATED: The Best & Worst Cuts of Steak—Ranked!

This dish is made with all-white meat chicken tenders that are dipped in a buttermilk batter and fried, plus a lean 6 oz. sirloin. Although fried isn’t my favorite recommendation, it is your best choice within the section. (Though there is a Grilled BBQ Chicken & Sirloin Texas Size Combo, it’s 590 calories!) If opting for this meal, I would recommend skipping the apps and having this as your only dish, plus some lower-calorie veggie sides.

This calorie-heavy pasta dish provides 165% of the daily recommended max of saturated fat and is close to 100% of the daily recommended max of sodium—certainly making it a non-heart healthy or calorie-friendly meal.

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