According to Restaurant Business magazine, wing joints have become some of the country’s fastest-growing chains. Cincinnati-based Buffalo Wings & Rings is now the nation's fastest-growing franchised restaurant. Even if you’re genetically blessed and train hard, folding wings into your dining lineup too often can lead to a serious spike in your body fat percentage. Here’s the low down on the calorie counts of several popular wing spots:
Lone Star, chicken wings appetizer: 1,759 calories
Applebees, 1 order boneless Buffalo wings, 1,724 calories
Zaxby’s, large order wings & things, 1,673 calories
Wingstop, 10 Cajun wings, 1,590 calories
Old Chicago, best Buffalo chicken wings, 1,562 calories
Chi-Chi’s, 1 order Tex-Mex BBQ wings, 1,421 calories
Chili’s, boneless Buffalo wings, 1,250 calories
Hooters, 5 chicken wings, 866 calories
Pizza Hut, 10 hot wings, 600 calories
KFC, 1 order of 5 boneless fiery Buffalo wings, 420 calories
If you’re an athlete who needs 2,000 a day, a single wing order can provide a quarter to well over 100% of your calorie budget, not to mention the fact that each wing contains 1 gram of artery clogging saturated fat (not including the blue cheese). Remember - even if you’re young and healthy, saturated fat can negatively impact your athletic performance today because it clogs arteries within hours of eating. That means less blood, oxygen and nutrients get to your muscles. Your concentration and reaction time can be affected, and you can feel sluggish and crampy.
So, if you’re a health conscious wing fan, here are a few alternatives:
Morningstar Farms (frozen), 5 veggie buffalo wings, 200 calories
OR
One to two 4-oz grilled chicken breast, sliced into strips
Red hot sauce
1-2 cups celery stalks
Dip made from one half cup reduced fat sour cream and one quarter cup crumbled blue cheese.
Not willing to give up your original wings? Just use these 4 rules of thumb:
1. Don’t eat them just before training or competing
2. Avoid them just after training or competing while your body’s in “recovery mode” or at least eat some nutrient-rich foods first
3. Limit your portion size (i.e. 5 or 10 vs. 20)
4. Pair them with at least one healthy food to offset some of the effects, like pizza with veggies instead of pepperoni or 100% fruit juice instead of soda