Nutrition For Fried Cheese Sticks

A healthy diet should include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy foods. Fried cheese sticks may not be a healthy snack choice but can be eaten in small quantities when part of an overall healthy diet.

Servings and Calories

Fried cheese is most often featured as an appetizer at many restaurants. The fried cheese appetizer served with marinara sauce at Chili's restaurant contains 730 calories in its entire portion. The entire fried cheese appetizer with marinara sauce at Ruby Tuesday, which serves four, contains 580 calories. T.G.I. Friday's sells its fried cheese sticks in the freezer section of most grocery stores. The entire container of frozen T.G.I. Friday's fried cheese sticks with the marinara sauce contains 770 calories.

Carbohydrates and Protein

The carbohydrates in the fried cheese comes from its crispy coating, while the protein comes from the cheese. Chili's fried cheese contains 60 g of carbohydrates and 36 g of protein. Ruby Tuesday fried cheese appetizer contains 48 g of carbohydrate, its protein content is not available. T.G.I. Friday's frozen fried cheese sticks without the marinara sauce contains 63 g of carbohydrate and 28 g of protein.

Fat

As a fried food, most of the calories in fried cheese comes from fat. A serving of Chili's fried cheese appetizer contains 39 g of total fat and 17 g of saturated fat. A serving of Ruby Tuesday's fried cheese appetizer contains 24 g of total fat, saturated fat information is not available. T.G.I. Friday's frozen fried cheese sticks contains 45 g of total fat and 10.5 g of saturated fat. High intakes of saturated fat increase blood cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends you limit your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, total saturated fat intake should be less than 15.5 g per day.

Sodium

Most Americans eat more sodium than they need. High intakes of sodium cause your body to retain fluids and increase blood pressure. Your total sodium intake should be limited to 2,400 mg a day. A serving of Chili's fried cheese with marinara meets almost a day's worth of sodium, with 2,270 mg per serving. Ruby Tuesday's fried cheese appetizer with marinara sauce contains 1,712 mg of sodium. And T.G.I. Friday's frozen fried cheese sticks without the marinara sauce contains 1,330 mg of sodium.

Considerations

Fried cheese sticks are high in calories, saturated fat and sodium and should not be consumed on a daily basis. To reduce your calorie, fat and sodium intake when you do indulge, share your order with your fellow diners.