Get America's Unhealthiest Cheeseburger At 23 Minnesota Locations

Everyone who loves a great cheeseburger knows they're not eating the healthiest meal in the world, but who cares? Sometimes, a big old fast-food burger with fries hits the spot!

That being said, not all fast-food cheeseburgers are created equal so some options are healthier than others. So, while being healthy is important, where would you go if you want to forget all that to let loose and indulge?

A recent study appears to have found the answer as they looked to find the most unhealthy fast-food menu items in America.

Determining America's Unhealthiest Fast-Food Menu Items

Dr. James Wantuck and Ryan McQuaid created an online doctors' office called PlushCare to help combat the long lines Americans face in healthcare systems. Recently, they posted a blog ranking of some of the most popular items at American fast-food chains, from most unhealthy to ‘least’ unhealthy.

For the study, they defined a set of products (cheeseburger, regular fries, etc.) and identified the closest possible product at 24 leading U.S. fast-food chains.

Using each chain’s nutritional menu, they compared the Calories (Kj), Sugar (g), Saturated Fat (g), and Sodium (mg) values for all the available products. They then scored them according to the Department of Health's nutrient profiling method.

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Lastly, they added up each product’s total “unhealthiness score” at each fast-food chain and ranked them across the restaurants.

The 'Unhealthiest Cheeseburger In America'

The study looked at the relative unhealthiness of cheeseburgers from 16 of the most popular American fast-food chains, they used the criteria above to establish a nutrient profile score. The higher the score, the more unhealthy the menu item.

The cheeseburger that ranked the highest had an 'Unhealthiness Score' that added up to 50:

Score based on energy (calories): 12
Score based on fat: 26
Score based on sugar: 1
Score based on sodium: 11

When it comes to cheeseburgers, one burger was the clear winner of the 'unhealthiest cheeseburger in America', and that title belongs to Five Guys. Interestingly enough, the study also found Five Guys has the least healthy fries.

By comparison, the cheeseburger that had the second highest 'Unhealthiness Score' was the Jalapeño & Cheese Whataburger, which had a score of 42.

If you want to indulge in a Five Guys cheeseburger, there are 23 locations in Minnesota. There are two in Minneapolis, and single locations can be found in Duluth, Apple Valley, Baxter, Blaine, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Mankato, Maple Grove, Oakdale, Plymouth, Richfield, Rochester, Shakopee, Shoreview, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, and St. Paul.

The Least 'Unhealthy' Fast-Food Cheeseburger In America

If you're looking for the least unhealthy fast-food cheeseburger in America, there are plenty of locations in Minnesota to get it! The Butterburger at Culver's was the winner here, with an 'Unhealthines Score' of just 17.

Score based on energy (calories): 4
Score based on fat: 7
Score based on sugar: 1
Score based on sodium: 5