Fast food restaurants, in an attempt to appeal to consumers looking for so-called "indulgent" food, are increasingly creating meals that consist of giant portions, despite the objections of nutritionists.
Burger King's new BK Stackers can include as much as four beef patties, four cheese slices, and four bacon strips.
A single Stacker can contain 1,000 calories and more than an entire day's recommended quanitity of fat. Denny's has also recently introduced an Extreme Grand Slam Breakfast, which includes three pancakes, three strips of bacon, three sausage links, two eggs, and hash browns. It totals 1,270 calories, 77 grams of fat and 2,510 milligrams of sodium.
The commericals for these products tend to emphasize a kind of pride in eating too much. In a commercial for the Extreme Grand Slam Breakfast, a man announces: "I'm going to eat too much, but I'm never going to pay too much."
Nutrition advocates have called such messages irresponsible in an age of rising obesity rates and diet-related diseases. Only half of the nation's top 300 chain restaurants currently give customers nutrition information, and none provide it on the menu.