Fast-Food Items You Should Never Order

It’s estimated the average American spends $1,200 each year on fast food and as a nation, we can’t seem to get enough of it. According to one study, 80 percent of Americans visit a fast-food outlet once a month and 34 percent of children aged 2 to 19 eat fast food daily. But what’s really in our favorite fast food? And are there items we should just outright refuse to devour?

The fast-food industry used to be full of closely guarded secrets. Did we ever stop to wonder how that food got made and delivered to our car in minutes flat? Now, thanks to one Reddit thread, fast food employees are spilling the beans about what really goes on inside the kitchens of our favorite fast-food restaurants. Their insider intel spans everything from restaurant cleanliness to festering food items left to hang around for days – and of course the menu items you definitely want to avoid because they’re chock full of calories and fat. From artery-clogging burgers and putrid chili to mold-infested ice-cream machines, these are the fast-food items you probably want to scratch off your edible list.