Order This, Not That: Dairy Queen
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I remember back when DQ only had vanilla and chocolate soft serve, and maybe a few sundaes to choose from. Nowadays the menu is bursting with all kinds of frozen concoctions. We scanned the options for the best (an worst) offerings.
Simple is best – a small vanilla or chocolate cone will only set you back 230 or 240 calories, respectively. Portioned controlled Dilly bars weigh in at an average of 220 calories per bar. A small frozen lemonade only has 200 calories, but is much higher in sugar than the ice cream treats.
You’ll find 470 calories in a large vanilla ice cream cone! Just about any large Blizzard on the menu contains over 1,000 calories -- same goes for a large milkshake. You’ll find even more calories and fat in the "Oreo Cookie Jar" and "Turtle Pecan Cluster" Blizzards and similar flavors loaded with cookies and candy.
You might want to think twice about those cherry or chocolate dipped cones too -- the candy coating adds 100 calories and 9 grams of fat to a small ice cream cone!
“MooLattes” might sound like cute coffee drinks, but with 500 to 900 calories, up to 25 grams of fat, and 20-something teaspoons of sugar each, you’ll be much better off with a plain cup of Joe.
There are many other DQ menu items too choose from, look them up on the Dairy Queen website. And props to DQ for offering a nutrition calculator – a simple selection tool that will generate a food label with all the nutrition info for your meal.
Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition. See Dana's full bio »
