On average, 1/5 of Americans consume salad on a daily basis. And whether you’re chopping up your own vegetables, or ordering from your nearest restaurant, you hope that eating a salad will rid you of the guilt that you would have experienced if you had opted for a burger or a slice of pizza instead.

Most of us are attracted to the notion of eating a salad because we believe it’s a healthy food choice. We’ve been taught that salads are always the “go-to” option if you’re interested in losing or maintaining your weight. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Just because it’s called a “salad” and contains vegetables, doesn’t mean that it’s always healthy. There are plenty of salads that are packed with fat and carbs, which leads to an overload of extra calories.

Here are 5 unhealthy American salads that are sure to add a few pounds to your waistline:

1. Applebee’s Crispy Chicken Tender Salad

This salad contains a whopping 1,180 calories which would require over an hour of intense exercise to burn off. Who can resist the crispy nuggets of chicken with the perfect dressing?

Go for a healthier option by buying your own greens and topping them off with grilled chicken and Walden Farms Salad Dressing.

2. California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Waldorf Salad

One serving of this bad boy contains 1,229 calories. Let’s hope you’ve got your running shoes on because it’ll take you a good 5 hour-long walk to burn them off.

If you really wanted to load on calories, you should’ve just eaten a dozen donuts from Dunkin Donuts instead.

3. Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad

You probably thought that no other salad could be as bad as the California Pizza Kitchen salad, but you’re wrong. As the name suggests, this explosion of a salad contains a mega 1,430 calories. Forget about looking good for your best friend’s wedding. After eating this beast of a salad, the only place you’re going is into a food coma.

4. Cheesecake Factory Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad

Just inhaling the smell of this salad is likely to cause you to move up a clothing size. With a mind-blowing 2,150 calories, this salad has managed to make the Whopper and Big Mac look like an appetizer. Its ranch dressing and golden onion rings may end up settling on your thighs forever.

5. IHOP Chicken & Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken and Fat-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

After some intensely calorie packed salads, this one sounds almost healthy with 1,130 calories. But just like its name, the salad too is a mouthful. And it contains such a high sugar content that you might as well be having dessert.

Final Thoughts

Stop telling yourself that the word “salad” equates a healthy meal since this is not always the case. In fact, you may be sabotaging your diet unintentionally.

Hopefully, this list of some of the most unhealthy salads in America will encourage you to understand the ingredients in any of the salads that you consume from now on.