The 12 Most Cholesterol-Laden Fast Food Items

By now it's common knowledge that the majority of the foods served at fast food restaurants are, for lack of a better term, really bad for you. Even though a single McDonald's cheeseburger is relatively low in fat and calories, it's also very low in actual nutrients. And while we tend to think in terms of fat and calorie content when we're discussing the health benefits (or lack thereof) of fast food, there's another major culprit to be on the lookout for: cholesterol.

Taco Bell's new "DoubleDilla" has a double portion of meat and cheese, along with a double portion of cholesterol. Both the steak and chicken varieties contain 100 milligrams of cholesterol; the chicken contains slightly less fat and fewer calories than the steak, with 910 calories and 42 grams of fat versus 920 calories and 44 grams of fat, respectively.

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has more cholesterol than any other item on the regular McDonald's menu, with 165 milligrams of cholesterol. It also contains 740 calories and 42 grams of fat.

Tipping the scales at 165 milligrams of cholesterol is DQ's ½ lb. Flamethrower Grillburger, two quarter-pound patties stacked with pepper Jack cheese, jalapeño bacon (whatever that is), and mayo-based FlameThrower sauce. It also contains 1,010 calories, 71 grams of fat, 26 grams of saturated fat, two grams of trans fat, and 1,670 milligrams of sodium.

If you keep adding patties to your burger, the cholesterol will add up. A Triple Whopper at Burger King contains 170 milligrams of cholesterol, along with 1,160 calories and 75 grams of fat.

Five Guys' burgers automatically come with two patties; if you want a single-patty burger, you have to order it "little." For that reason, this chain's burgers are some of the unhealthiest around, with the standard bacon cheeseburger clocking in at 180 milligrams of cholesterol, along with 920 calories, 62 grams of fat, 29.5 grams of saturated fat, zero grams of trans fat (yay!), and 1,310 milligrams of sodium.

We recommend you stick with a six-incher if you're opting for Subway's Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt; a footlong contains 190 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,140 calories, and 56 grams of fat.

Surprisingly, chicken contains more cholesterol than any other meat option at Chipotle, with 125 milligrams per serving versus 65 for steak, carnitas, and barbacoa. A Chipotle burrito that contains chicken, cheese, and sour cream will clock in at 195 milligrams of cholesterol, along with about 1,300 calories and more than 60 grams of fat.

The 2/3-pound Monster Thickburger, which contains two third-pound patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of cheese, and mayo, is one of the most fat-laden fast food burgers in existence, with an insane 95 grams of fat and 1,330 calories. It also breaks the 200 milligram cholesterol barrier, with 215 milligrams. 

Once again, the more patties you add to a burger, the more cholesterol you're adding. The unhealthiest burger on the Wendy's menu is the 3/4 lb. Triple with Cheese, with 1,090 calories, 66 grams of fat, and 255 milligrams of cholesterol. 

Along with 255 milligrams of cholesterol, this beast of a burger also contains 1,240 calories and 87 grams of fat. 

Should you decide to eat an entire 12-inch meat lovers' pizza in one sitting (and it seems like most people do), you'll be downing 280 milligrams of cholesterol. The pan pizza is worse for you calorie-wise than the hand-tossed; a whole pizza contains 2,480 calories and 136 grams of fat versus the hand-tossed's 2,240 calories and 120 grams of fat. Maybe just stick to a Skinny Slice. 

A half-fried chicken is a pretty typical dinner for one hungry person at KFC; unfortunately, if you eat a breast, thigh, wing, and leg you'll be eating more cholesterol than you should in an entire day — 355 milligrams, to be exact. That also includes 870 calories, 50 grams of fat, and (certainly worth mentioning) an insane 2,810 milligrams of sodium, far beyond the America' Heart Association's recommended daily upper limit of 2,300 milligrams.