What are the Most Fattening Foods of Summer

Ahhh, it’s summer: barbecues, cocktails at the pool, baseball games, and lots of fried chicken, ribs, potato salad, ice cream, hot dogs, and beer. The living may be easy, but you need to know about a few shocking calorie traps and better choices at a backyard barbecue or beach boardwalk.

High-Fat Meats on the Barbecue

The bad news: barbecue can sabotage your waistline. A 20 ounce T-bone steak can weigh in at 1,540 calories and 124 g fat. An average cheeseburger has 750 calories and 45 grams of fat. What about pork or beef ribs? They come from the fattiest part of the animal. The good news: You can go lean with cuts like pork tenderloin, skinless chicken breast, and lean ground beef.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Hot dogs and sausages are summer treats for many of us, but you might save them for baseball games. It’s not just about fat or calories — after all, you can choose low-fat versions. Most hot dogs, bratwurst, and other sausages are very high in sodium. Typical nutrition scores include:

• Hot dog: 280 calories, 15 g fat, 1,250 mg of sodium
• Kielbasa (6-oz): 330 calories, 24 g fat, 1,590 mg sodium