We’ve heard it all before; Americans eat too much.  While many of us have already heard this grim news ad infinitum, the Center for Science in the Public interest wants us to realize just how serious the situation is.

That’s why they’ve just announced the winners of their annual “Xtreme Eating Awards”, a list of chain restaurants that offer the most calorie dense offerings in the contiguous forty-eight.

Some of the winners:

 PF Chang’s Double Pan Fried Noodles Combo, (1820 calories)

The Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Carbonara with chilcken, (2500 calories)

Bob Evans’ Cinnamon Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes, (1,380 calories)

In looking at the numbers, the Center’s nutrition director, Bonnie Liebman, contends that these meals are so huge and have such an enormous amount of fat that even splitting them wouldn’t be that much of an advantage, in the overall scheme of things.

In addition to the caloric overload these entrees boast, the number of fat grams in each of them is absolutely obscene, especially when you consider Liebman’s directive for the average American:  2,000 calories per day, and no more than 20 grams of fat.

Obesity rates notwithstanding, we can still consume way too much fat, even if we manage to keep our caloric intake down.  The goal, according to nutritionists, is to pack as many healthy nutrients as possible into those 2,000 calories, not too merely focus on calorie counting.

For example, if a person ate 7 Little Debbie blueberry muffins and nothing else all day, he or she would remain well below the 2, 000 calorie limit at 1.330.  However, the number of fat grams consumed in such an instance is a whopping 56 grams.

Some of the chains named on “the list” have issued statements; PF Chang’s reminds patrons that their meals are served family style with the notion that families will “share” a variety of appetizers, entrees, side dishes, etc.

A spokesman for The Cheesecake Factory asserts that many of their meals are perfect to take home for a second meal later on.

Of course, we must concede that the Xtreme list is a bit inflammatory, but the purpose of it is to shock us all into realizing what we’re doing to our bodies, and more importantly, what we’re doing to ourselves as a nation, collectively.  For the sake of our future, let’s hope it works.