How Does McDonald’s Nutrition Stack Up?
Fast food is a big part of our lives, whether we eat it or not. We see dozens of ads every day on TV, billboards, buses, email, mobile ads and more. We are constantly reminded of the convenience, affordability and improved “healthy” quality of various fast food products. But how healthy or unhealthy is fast food really? Is it worth saving a few minutes of cooking to eat that double cheeseburger or hard-side taco? I’d like to start a series of posts comparing the nutritional values of various fast food chains to their home-cooked counterparts. Today I’m going to show you some of McDonald’s nutritional information compared to the nutritional information of a healthier, homemade option, then you can judge if saving a dollar or a few minutes is worth the nutritional difference.
McDonald’s Nutrition – Quarter Pounder with Cheese
vs
Homemade Version – Quarter Pound Burger with wheat bun and cheese
McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese:
Calories: 520
Calories from fat: 240
Total fat: 26 g
Saturated fat: 12 g
Trans fats: 1.5 g
Cholesterol: 95 mg
Sodium: 1100 mg
Total carbohydrates: 41 g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 10g
Egg White: 30g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 2%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 25%
Homemade Quarter Pounder with Cheese on Wheat Bun
Calories: 401
Calories from fat: 118
Total fat: 15 g
Saturated fat: 7g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6 g
Monounsaturated fat: 4.5 g
Cholesterol: 93 mg
Sodium: 723 mg
Potassium: 469 mg
Total carbohydrates: 31 g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 7g
Egg white: 35 g
Vitamin A: 16%
Calcium: 57%
Iron: 3%
There you have it. The nutritional information for a fast food joint and a homemade burger. Let’s take a minute to discuss the differences between the McDonald’s diet and the homemade version. Let’s start with the fat content. The McDonald’s version has higher levels of saturated and trans fats (the bad fats), while the homemade burger has higher amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the OK fats). The McDonald’s diet has higher levels of cholesterol, sodium, sugar and iron. The homemade burger has higher amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins, and potassium.
It’s no surprise that the homemade version is healthier than the Mcdonald’s version. The real surprise is how much healthier it actually is. By avoiding the Mcdonald’s diet and taking a few extra minutes to make your own burger, you’ll be consuming less fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar and more fiber, protein, potassium and vitamins. In other words, you’re turning the McDonald’s diet into a muscle-building diet. A homemade burger with 35g protein, 4g fiber, some good fats and a lot less starch makes for a muscle-building, delicious dinner.
Keep an eye on my next fast food comparison coming soon!
Thanks to Ryan M York