Just one doner kebab contains your entire day's calorie allowance
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It is fair to say that most people ordering one are not overly concerned with making sound nutritional choices.
And that might be just as well, for a survey yesterday revealed the grim truth about the sky-high fat content of many kebabs.
A particularly large and greasy specimen could provide 2,000 calories - as many as a woman should eat in a whole day.
Unhealthy: A survey has revealed that doner kebabs can contain 2,000 calories
The survey also found that more than one in three kebabs contained meat from several different species of animal.
Some kebabs sold as Halal - suitable for Muslims - were even found to contain pork, which is banned by the faith.
The thought of a red-grey slab of meat turning on a spit, heated by what looks like the bar of an electric fire, is perhaps not the most appetising of sights.
Yet feasting on a doner has become something of a treat for millions of Britons, particularly after the pubs shut on a Friday and Saturday night.
However, a survey of 76 councils across the country, which tested 490 kebabs, revealed that many contained worryingly large amounts of fat and salt, even before
the addition of mayonnaise and other extras.
Researchers found that the average kebab provided 98 per cent of the daily salt quota for an adult.
A typical example also contained nearly 1,000 calories, which is half the daily recommended maximum for women, and 148 per cent of the daily saturated fat limit.
Some 35 per cent of those kebabs which were labelled contained meat from several types of animal.
Alarmingly, six kebabs tested positive for pork when it was not declared as an ingredient. Two of these were described as Halal.
The survey was co-ordinated by the local council body, LACORS.
Its chairman, councillor Geoffrey Theobald, said: 'We would never consider kebabs part of a calorie-controlled diet, but the level of saturated fat and salt in some is a serious cause for concern.
'While some people may think they are making sensible choices by ordering a small kebab, this study showed little difference between small and large kebab weight.'
Mr Theobald added: 'It is totally unacceptable that people with certain faiths are unknowingly eating meats that are against their beliefs.'
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