Dining At DQ Won't Just Hit Your Wallet: The Good, Bad, & Ugly!

When you first hear the words 'Dairy Queen', otherwise known as DQ, the first thought that might come to mind is ice cream. This restaurant has been primarily known by most individuals for their wide selection of frozen desserts which include everything from ice cream cakes, ice cream pies, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, cones, and the famous, DQ 'Blizzard'.

That's not all you'll find at DQ however. There is a full menu selection that you can choose from when you visit this fast food restaurant, but you should be warned to choose very, very carefully. Unless you have the specific 'healthy' meals picked out before going in, it's very unlikely that you're going to do your fat loss diet justice in this restaurant.

Let's have a closer look at their menu so that you can dine smart next time you're at DQ.

Breakfast

You're going to be hard pressed to find something healthy for breakfast at DQ as most of their menu items contain far more fat then you should be having in a day, not to mention calories that will really put a dent in your daily diet.

The Good

The 'best' bet (even though it's still not all that great) will be a Pancake Platter with Ham. It contains the fewest calories off the menu at 380 and only has 8 grams of fat, 59 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of protein. It's definitely higher in carbohydrates so for anyone following a low carb diet, it will be problematic.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Pancake Platter With Ham	380	8	59	18

The Bad

The next option that wouldn't be considered 'diet-friendly' by any means but isn't going to be all that incredibly damaging is the Ham Biscuit Sandwich. This one will contain 460 calories, 28 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of protein. It's far more fat than you need to be eating at breakfast but it still does contain some protein so from that aspect it's not overly bad.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Ham Biscuit Sandwich	460	28	38	16

The Ugly

Finally you have the 'ugly'. The Country Platter with Sausage is the absolute worst thing you could eat when you order breakfast at DQ, as it comes in with 1360 calories, 91 grams of fat, 95 grams of carbs and 36 grams of protein. No one needs this many calories to start off their day so just stay away from any of the Platter dishes on their menu.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Country Platter with Sausage	1360	91	95	36

Burgers and Sandwiches

If you're in the mood for a burger or sandwich at DQ, tread lightly. There are a few options that will be less bad than others.

The Good

The best bet to have will be a Grilled Chicken Wrap, which contains 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, only 9 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein. This works great to tide you over when you're hungry until you can get somewhere and prepare something that is more nutritionally sound.

If you're really in the mood for a burger, then you're best choosing the original hamburger which contains 350 calories, 14 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of protein. It's not great, but it's not going to completely break your diet either.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Original Hamburger	350	14	33	17
Grilled Chicken Wrap	200	12	9	12

The Bad

The Crispy Flame Thrower Chicken Wrap isn't overly high in calories, but does contain a bit of fat so you'll want to choose wisely for the rest of the day if you're going to eat this one. It contains 310 calories, 19 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of protein.

On the burger side of things, the Classic Grilled Burger isn't something that you want to make a regular part of your diet, but if you're choosing burgers, it's one that's not as bad as the others. It contains 470 calories, 21 grams of fat, 42 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of protein.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Crispy Flame Thrower Chicken Wrap	310	19	17	8
Classic Grilled Burger	470	21	42	24

The Ugly

On the ugly side of things, try your best to stay away from the 1/2 pound Flame Thrower Grillburger as it contains 1060 calories, 75 grams of fat, 165 grams of carbs, and 54 grams of protein. This is a hard one to work into the diet regardless of your calorie needs, so you're best avoiding it.

With chicken, avoid the Crispy Chicken Flame Thrower Chicken Sandwich, which wracks up to 860 calories, 55 grams of fat, 51 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of protein.

Again, this is far too much to take in for a single sandwich, so you're better off without.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
1/2 lb Flame Thrower Grill Burger	1060	75	165	54
Crispy Chicken Flame Thrower Chicken Sandwich	860	55	51	30

Hot Dogs and Baskets

When it comes to the hot dogs and basket menu items at DQ, this is another one you'll just want to stay away from, period.

All of the baskets are above 900 calories and while the hot dogs are lower in calories, they are just too high in fat and not full of quality nutrients that will promote good health.

To give you an example of the nutritional devastation these items provide, the Chicken Strip Basket (6 pieces) contains 1640 calories, 74 grams of fat, 121 grams of carbs, and 54 grams of protein. Likewise, the All Beef Chilli Cheese Foot-Long contains 840 calories, 54 grams of fat, 52 grams of carbs, and 37 grams of protein.

If you must choose a hot dog, the regular All-Beef contains only 250 calories, but still provides 14 grams of fat and only 9 grams of protein - not a very nutritionally smart decision.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
All-Beef Hot Dog	250	14	21	9
All Beef Chilli Cheese Foot-long	840	54	52	37
Chicken Strip Basket - 6 Piece	1640	74	121	54

Blizzards and Shakes

Blizzards and Milkshakes are what DQ is known for but these should definitely be saved for occasion and when eaten, always choose the small size.

While the exact nutritional information will vary slightly depending on the flavour you choose, with Cookie Dough, Turtle Pecan Cluster, and Peanut Butter Butterfinger Blizzard flavours being the highest, you're looking at between 500-600 on average for a small size, 700-900 for the medium size, and 900-1500 calories for the large size. You will see very similar calorie ranges for the shakes and malts as well.

Your best bet - get a small and share it with a friend. Then you're looking at a reasonable calorie treat that can be worked into your day on occasion.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Cookie Dough Blizzard (Small)	710	27	103	13
Cookie Dough Blizzard (Medium)	1010	40	148	18
Cookie Dough Blizzard (Large)	1300	51	189	22

Banana Split

If you're a banana split fan, you'd better eat this one on occasion as well and be prepared to cut back on your diet in other areas as well. It comes in at 520 calories, 13 grams of fat, 94 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of protein.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Banana Split	520	13	94	9

Other Desserts

If neither of the above desserts are what you're looking for, you have a number of other options including sundaes, cones, waffle cones, and novelty bars.

The Good

Your best bet as far as dessert at DQ is concerned is a DQ Fudge Bar with no sugar added. This one comes in at only 50 calories and will hardly put a dent in your day. The Small Vanilla cone also is a good pick at only 230 calories and 7 grams of fat. If you want a sundae, again go with the small size in any flavour and you're only looking at between 230 and 300 calories.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
DQ Fudge Bar - No Sugar	50	0	13	4
Small Vanilla Cone	230	7	31	6

The Bad

When it comes to novelty bars, one that isn't great, but isn't overly horrible either is the DQ Chocolate Dilly Bar. It will have 240 calories, 15 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.

If you're really craving a dipped cone, the small butterscotch dipped contain will have 340 calories and 16 grams of fat, so again it's not really the best option, but doesn't surpass the 500 calorie mark.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
DQ Chocolate Dilly Bar	240	15	24	4
Butterscotch Dipped Cone	340	16	35	6

The Ugly

If you instead decide to order a waffle cone, be prepared for considerably more calories. The Turtle Waffle Bowl Sundae for example will provide you with 810 calories, 34 grams of fat, 76 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.

A large sized cherry dip cone can also get quite high in calories coming in at 670 with 32 grams of fat. Be wary about ordering these items.

Item	Calories	Fats	Carbs	Protein
Turtle Waffle Bowl Sundae	810	34	116	12
Cherry Dip Cone (Large)	670	32	83	12

Conclusion

So be sure you're keeping these points in mind as you head to DQ. In terms of overall nutritious selections, it fairs not as good as some of the other fast food establishments out there. If you're in the mood for ice cream, DQ is probably the place to go, but otherwise, you may want to consider other options.

Check Out Dariy Queen's Complete Nutritional Details Here.