The One Item You Should Avoid Ordering At P.F. Chang's

P.F. Chang's story began like so many other chains — as just one location serving up tasty food. Though the restaurant that started it all is based in California, there are hundreds of locations around the country today, and it's become one of a few highly successful Asian restaurant chains.

There are plenty of dishes to choose from on P.F. Chang's menu, but Thrillist reports that employees love the brand's long-life noodles and prawns, as well as the Hunan dragon wings. For a vegetarian option, the favorite is the Buddha's feast. In terms of appetizers, shrimp dumplings are a popular menu item as well, along with crab wontons, which are more commonly known as crab Rangoon.

While some people can't get enough of these dishes, chain restaurants aren't always known for being healthy. P.F. Chang's is no exception, with most of the meals running high in fat and sodium. However, the level of sodium (more commonly known as salt) in one dish, in particular, might be enough to send you running.

There is hidden sodium in plenty of foods, and restaurants often use salt as a way of ramping up a dish's flavor. At P.F. Chang's, the Peking duck might be the one menu item to avoid — it's loaded with sodium.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, which is a major factor in heart health; left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack and stroke. The AHA recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams per day but says an ideal number is closer to 1,500 milligrams. Enter the P.F. Chang's Peking duck, which blows both numbers out of the water.

According to P.F. Chang's website, this dish boasts a whopping 5,210 milligrams of sodium, which is more than double a day's worth. It's the saltiest menu item by a long shot, with no others even getting into the 4,000-milligram range.

In addition to its high salt content, the Peking duck is high in just about every other content. It contains 202 grams of fat, just under 3,000 calories and 151 grams of carbohydrates. 71 grams of sugar round out the nutrition facts, though one potential positive could be the 99 grams of protein (however, even that number is higher than the recommended daily value, per Mayo Clinic).

If you're carefully watching your sodium intake, there are a number of other dishes on P.F. Chang's menu you won't want to order. Every available lo mein dish contains more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium, with the exception of the kids' portion which comes in at 1,660 milligrams. Other items in the 3,000 range include the egg drop soup bowl, the hot & sour soup bowl, and the shrimp pad thai.

If you're craving P.F. Chang's but trying to stay healthy, there are certainly a number of dishes you can order. The steamed Buddha's feast is a vegetarian dish with only 250 milligrams of sodium and 200 calories. Surprisingly, the sweet & sour chicken is one of the lowest-sodium menu items with 560 milligrams and the crispy honey chicken has 750 milligrams. Though both dishes are still seen as high by AHA standards, they're better than the Peking duck.