What do you get when you top vanilla soft serve ice cream with chocolate fudge and caramel sauce? An ice cream sundae of course. Now for a limited time you can top that with hardwood smoked bacon pieces when you visit Burger King and make it a Bacon Sundae!



The bacon and ice cream combination seems to be the new taste sensation of the year. In February, Jack in the Box launched its bacon-flavored milkshake followed by Denny's Maple Bacon Sundae creation. Both were only offered for a limited time and now BK is following suit. It seems that other sweet-salty combinations like Bacon Chocolate Bars, Bacon Maple Cupcakes, and Bacon Lollipops have also become popular.
 
Burger King didn't just introduce the Bacon Sundae for the summer. They are also featuring other favorites from BBQ pork or chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries to frozen lemonade for a limited time. Their new It's BBQ Day at Burger King commercial highlights all the best things about summer in America like picnics, lemonade and ice cream to also help get you in the mood. How does the new Burger King Bacon Sundae stack up nutritionally?

Photo by SparkPeople member KALORIE-KILLAH



Calories – 510
Fat – 18 grams
Sodium – 670 mg
Carbohydrate – 75 grams
Protein – 15 grams
 
Two of the other summertime sandwich offerings are slightly better nutritionally than the Bacon Sundae especially in calories and fat. The entire Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich only contains 470 calories and 16 grams of fat even thought it has almost double the sodium (1,420 mg) while the Texas BBQ Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich only comes in at 430 calories and 10 grams of fat even though it is very high in the sodium department (1,690 mg). Since both sandwiches contain a sweet, yet tangy BBQ sauce, either one might do the trick when it comes to tickling your sweet-salty tooth. A serving of the Sweet Potato Fries might also treat your sweet-salty tooth without doing too great of nutritional damage. A small size serving only contains 290 calories with 16 grams of fat and 530 mg of sodium compared to a small serving of the regular fries that contain 340 calories, 15 grams of fat and 480 mg of sodium. 

Summertime treats like the Bacon Sundae or Frozen Lemonade (100 cal/0 g fat/15 mg sodium) are choices you want to limit to special occasions instead of regular indulgences. We would say the same is true for high sodium meats like bacon, sausage, or cold cut deli meats. As we say, every food can fit into a healthful eating plan but moderation is the key. Burger King however, is hoping you will pick them this summer when you are looking for a sweet-salty combo. Here are several other options that might offer the same great taste combination with a lower nutritional impact for your waistline.

Chocolate Turtle Sweet & Salty Snack
 
Sweet n Salty Beet Chips
 
Chocolate Shortbread with Sea Salt and Cacao Nibs
 
 
What is your favorite summertime picnic food? Do you worry about the calories, fat, and sodium they contain or just focus on them as a treat and enjoy them on occasion?