Big Macs and Fries: What You Pay Per Calorie

Even with glimmers of hope for the recovery, consumers are still cutting back — especially when it comes to dining out. But turning to some of fast food's biggest bargains in order to stretch your dollar in the recession may be one belt-tightening measure that could end up forcing you to loosen your buckle by a couple of notches.

Going out for cheap eats is an obvious way for consumers to keep their spending in check. That's why fast food restaurants are seen as a good investment in tough times. McDonald’s (MCD) and Yum! Brands (YUM), which operates Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut (among others) both reported stellar fourth quarters as proof. Bucking that trend were Burger King (BKC) and CKE Restaurants (CKR), the operator of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. Burger King reported that it experienced “significant” traffic declines in March (it reported 1% same-store sales growth) and CKE’s same-store sales were down 2.7%. Nevertheless, that slide is still modest when compared with the double-digit losses at higher-end restaurant chains like Ruth's Hospitality Group's (RUTH) Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and Benihana (BNHN).

Bang for your buck continues to be one of the biggest selling points for fast food right now. But how much food are you really getting for your money? SmartMoney.com sought to find out which menu items are the costliest and cheapest per calorie. The results may surprise you. Looking at the cost per 100 calories of some items underscores what nutritionists have been saying for years: The cheapest calories typically aren’t the healthiest.

Here's our dish-by-dish look at some popular menu items and their total cost per 100 calories — from the most expensive to the cheapest.