The Salad You Might Want To Avoid At The Cheesecake Factory

One of the unhealthiest Cheesecake Factory menu items isn't, as you might expect, a smothered burger or a slice of its namesake dessert utterly smothered in chocolate — it's a salad. No food is inherently "good" or "bad," but a lot of folks assume a salad is automatically a healthier choice when dining out. These same folks might stop short when they realize that the Cheesecake Factory's Chinese Chicken Salad contains 1630 calories, 2960 milligrams of sodium, 102 grams of fat, and 62 grams of sugar, which is an astounding tally for any restaurant dish and especially for one that you may assume is based on vegetables.

For reference purposes, a healthy adult's recommended daily maximum macros are 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of sugar, with fat and calories varying on individual bodily needs and personal preference. If you follow a generic 2,000-calorie-a-day maintenance plan, for instance, the Mayo Clinic's recommendation of no more than 35% fat from calories means that you should aim for fewer than 70 grams of fat a day. These recommendations are designed to keep your body working happily and efficiently and can have unpleasant consequences if ignored.

By any metric, this salad is an overwhelming dish that is likely to leave you feeling crummy after eating it. Dare we suggest it should end up on the inglorious list of discontinued chain restaurant meals? Okay, maybe we don't want to go that far, but we will recommend that you approach this dish with caution.

There are restaurant red flags you shouldn't ignore, like a dirty parking lot, but menu items can exude similar warning vibes. The Cheesecake Factory's Chinese Chicken Salad is just such a dish. It's loaded with delicious-sounding ingredients like poached chicken, crispy rice noodles, wonton strips, slivered almonds, and mandarin orange segments, all piled atop two types of lettuce and smothered in a sesame-plum dressing. This salad's hidden fat, sugar, and sodium may not actually be what you want to take in, however. After all, going out to dinner should be a relaxing, chill experience that leaves you feeling full, refreshed, and having enjoyed the company of friends or loved ones. After downing the Chinese Chicken Salad, however, you are possibly leaving the restaurant feeling bloated, icky, and like you're teetering on a sugar crash.

Consuming too much sodium can, in the short term, cause you to feel very thirsty, raise your blood pressure, and even give you a headache. Meanwhile, all that sugar is going to spike your blood sugar and set you up to feel anxious and shaky when it drops again later in the day. Meanwhile, a single fatty meal can cause stomach pain, swelling, and diarrhea. All told, Cheesecake Factory's salad probably isn't a worthy choice. If you really want to try it — and no judgment from us, as it sounds super yummy — consider splitting it with a friend or eating half and bringing the rest home to enjoy the next day.