The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the cornerstone of Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. 
 
 
 
 The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are jointly issued and updated every 5 years by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). They provide authoritative advice about consuming fewer calories, making informed food choices, and being physically active to attain and maintain a healthy weight, reduce risk of chronic disease, and promote overall health. 
 
 
 
 Recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are intended for Americans ages 2 years and over, including those at increased risk of chronic disease. The Guidelines encourage Americans to focus on eating a healthful diet — one that focuses on foods and beverages that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight, promote health, and prevent disease. 
 
 
 
 The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the 7th edition released since 1980 and remain the current edition until the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are released. 
 
 Press Release 
 
 Executive Summary 
 
 Selected Messages for Consumers 
 
 Backgrounder 
 
 Questions and Answers 
 
 
 
 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 
 
 (Policy Document) 
 
 Consumer Brochure (6/11) 
 
 Communications Message Calendar (6/11) 
 
 
 
 Additional consumer materials which support and reflect the Dietary Guidelines continue to be developed and released. 
 
 
 
 

 How much are you willing to work out in order to dine out? 
 
 That’s the tongue-in-cheek question posed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group that released its latest list of high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium and high-sugar meals served at chain restaurants. 
 
 CSPI reviews menu and nutritional information for more than 200 of the top U.S. chain restaurants “and we just look for the worst items that we can find,” said Paige Einstein, registered dietitian with CSPI. 
 
 This year’s “Xtreme Eating Awards,” the group’s sixth such compilation, come as some restaurants have started to list calorie contents for their items on their menus or online. (See nine of the "winners" in the photo gallery above.) 
 
 In the future, chains with at least 20 locations will be required to list calories on their menus. For now, federal regulations on the issue have not been finalized. 
 
 “I think when that happens there’s going to be a higher demand for healthy items. People may not be ordering the healthy items now because they just don’t know how bad the other items are” Einstein said. 
 
 Some chains, including The Cheesecake Factory, have added some lighter dishes to their menus. Still, The Cheesecake Factory, known for its massive entrees, salads and desserts, was given three of this year’s nine awards from CSPI. 
 
 In general, restaurant meals with too many calories remain the standard, industry watchers say. 
 
 “You can expect about 1,000 calories in any typical appetizer, 1,000 calories in a typical entrée and 1,000 calories in a typical dessert. It’s not just these extreme items that people need to be aware of when dining out,” Einstein said. 
 
 The amount of calories a person should consume daily varies depending on factors such as weight, gender, age and activity level. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 dietary guidelines suggested that Americans who are 14 years and older reduce sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams daily, or to 1,500 milligrams among certain groups. 
 
 The USDA also recommends consuming less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids. It suggests that a person on a 2,000 calorie per day diet should consume less than 20 grams of saturated fat. By that standard, each meal on the CSPI’s list contains at least a day’s worth of saturated fat. One dish contains nearly five days’ worth. 
 
 The following is a list of the “winners” sorted by number of calories per meal, lowest to highest. 
 
 Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory 
 
 Item: Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake 
 
 Calories: 1,500 
 
 Restaurant: Chevys Fresh Mex 
 
 Item: Chevys Super Cinco Combo 
 
 Calories: 1,920 
 
 Restaurant: BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse 
 
 Item: Signature Deep Dish Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza 
 
 Calories: 2,160 
 
 Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory 
 
 Item: Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic 
 
 Calories: 2,410 
 
 Restaurant: Maggiano’s Little Italy 
 
 Item: Prime New York Steak Contadina style 
 
 Calories: 2,420 
 
 Restaurant: Famous Dave’s 
 
 Item: The Big Slab of St. Louis-Style Spareribs 
 
 Calories: 2,770 
 
 Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory 
 
 Item: Bruléed French Toast 
 
 Calories: 2,780 
 
 Restaurant: Joe’s Crab Shack 
 
 Item: The Big “Hook” Up platter 
 
 Calories: 3,280 
 
 Restaurant: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 
 
 Item: “Monster-sized” A.1. Peppercorn gourmet burger, Bottomless steak fries and a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake 
 
 Calories: 3,540 
 
 Hungry for more? Scroll through the photo gallery at the top of this story to see all the “winners.” 
 
 (The gallery features more nutritional details and a suggestion of the exercise it would take to burn off the calories in each meal. CSPI estimated the workouts based on a 150-pound person.) 
 
 Officials from Red Robin and The Cheesecake Factory said they offer a variety of choices for diners. 
 
 “This study combines some of our most indulgent items into one meal,’’ said Denny Marie Post, Red Robin’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “However, everything on the Red Robin menu is customizable and can be modified to fit within a guest’s dietary needs.’’ 
 
 Added Alethea Rowe of The Cheesecake Factory: “Many of our guests come in and want to celebrate and not be concerned with calories. Others want to share their dish – and we love it when guests share – that’s a great sign that our portions are generous – and a large percentage of our guests take home leftovers for lunch the next day.’’ 
 
 Maggiano’s Little Italy said that its generously-sized portions are enough to share or save for later, and that it readily customizes dishes in response to requests. The company said it is bringing out a “Lighter Take” menu with items that reduce calories by at least one-third. 
 
 Representatives from the other companies could not be reached for comment. 
 
 jwohl@tribune.com 
 
 Follow @JessicaWohl Follow @chibreakingbiz 
 

– Nearly 3,550 calories for a burger, fries, and shake sounds about right—if it's one of the meals called out on a watchdog group's annual list of fatty, sugary, calorie-heavy foods served at US chain restaurants. The Center for Science in the Public Interest pored over nutritional data for food served at more than 200 chain eateries in a quest for "the worst items that we can find," a CSPI registered dietitian tells the Chicago Tribune. This year's "Xtreme Eating Awards" winner? The aforementioned 3,540-calorie meal of a "Monster-sized A1 Peppercorn" burger at Red Robin, served alongside "bottomless steak fries" and a "Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake." Also "honored" were the Cheesecake Factory's bruléed French toast (2,780 calories), Famous Dave's "big slab" of St. Louis-style ribs (2,770), and a fried seafood feast called the "The Big 'Hook' Up" at Joe's Crab Shack (3,280). And even if you don't order any of the items that made the list, "you can expect about 1,000 calories in any typical appetizer, 1,000 calories in a typical entrée, and 1,000 calories in a typical dessert" when eating out, the dietitian says. The USDA recommends that people ingest no more than 10% of their daily calories from saturated fatty acids, which means the meals on the institute's list also contain "at least a day's worth of saturated fat," notes the Tribune. (Click for the full list, or check out which meals "won" last year.)