Summer's Seven Most Fattening Foods

There’s something about eating in the fresh air that sparks an appetite. But the foods on our summer menus are often calorie-packed and unhealthy. Check out the seven worst culprits.

High-Fat Barbecue Meats

Sizzling steaks, ribs, and hamburgers are waistline wideners. Pork or beef ribs are the fattiest part of the animal to eat. Plus, a 20-oz. T-bone steak can top 1,540 calories with 124 g fat. The average burger with bun and cheese contains about 740 calories. If you must indulge, opt for lean cuts of pork tenderloin or skinless chicken breast.

Salads With Mayonnaise We love potato salad, coleslaw and all those cold pasta concoctions, but the calories are huge. Just a small half cup of typical potato salad packs 180 calories with 12 g of fat – and the others are no better. Better alternatives: tsalads made with light mayo, low-fat yogurt or vinegar and oil.

Sweet Cocktails Pina Colada, anyone? Just one glass can add a whopping 500 calories and a daiquiri (depending on size) can boost your intake up to 800 calories. Choose a wine spritzer or a small serving of wine or sangria instead.

Cold Drinks Smoothies, milkshakes, and cold coffee concoctions are big offenders. A vanilla shake has 738 calories and a Starbucks' 2% iced dulce de leche with whip cream packs 420 calories and 16 g of fat in just a 16- oz. serving. But a 20 oz. iced coffee with skim milk is only 110 calories.

Ice Cream A cup of soft-serve ice cream can have 380 calories and 22 g of fat. If it’s a Dairy Queen chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard the calories soar to 720, with 28 g of fat! And Ben and Jerry's two-scoop Chunky Monkey in a waffle cone has 659 calories and 34 g of fat. Choose sorbet, sherbet, light ice cream, fudge bars or fruit bars; all are under 150 calories per serving.

Fair Foods State fairs, carnivals, and seashore boardwalks serve some of the most fattening deep-fried diet disasters. From fried cheesecake (around 500 calories), fried macaroni and cheese (610 calories) to gigantic turkey legs (1,136 calories and 54 g fat), most eat-while-you-walk foods will give you calorie overload. Instead, head for cotton candy, caramel apples, or a simple grilled meat.

Salad Dressings A salad can be the perfect no-cook summer dinner unless you’re topping it with a high-calorie dressing, bacon cheese or croutons. For example an ounce of croutons is 142 calories with 6 g fat, and 3 strips of crumbled bacon tops out at 124 calories, 9 g fat. Instead, go for grilled chicken, strips of lean meat, or eggs, then pile on the veggies. Finish it off with light vinaigrette dressing.