If burgers are your Macca's jam then my picks are the humble old Filet-o-Fish and plain Hamburger. Both are lower in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and kilojoules compared to other Macca's burgers. If you can afford it, why not add a garden salad and call it a balanced meal?
Nuggets are fried in hydrogenated oil and contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and preservatives. This makes them an unhealthy choice, especially if you eat them often.
The healthiest item from McDonald's classic menu is the hamburger, which delivers a healthy portion of protein while staying comparatively low in calories.
While chicken is an obvious Men's Health staple, KFC's reliance on greasy oils and subsequent sky-high calorific content makes Maccy's an unlikely victor. The more varied menu and healthy options, as well as classic, gut-busting fare, make it the ideal spot to play fast and loose with your nutrition plan.
Fast food contains a lot of unhealthy ingredients like sugar, saturated fats, trans fats, and a lot of calories. While eating fast food once a week will not pose any harm in the short run, once you start regularly indulging in cheat meals, all these ingredients can come back to haunt your body.
The average Big Mac calories is at around 540 calories with 25 grams of fat. When taken on its own, this sandwich provides more than 25% of an adult's daily calorie requirement and more than 40% of the daily recommended fat intake, despite being often drunk with fries and cola.
The research found that the calories, saturated fat and salt included within the items differed slightly in different countries — with Australia being deemed one of the most 'calorific' McDonald's in the world.
This wrap is 430 Calories and contains 6 grams of saturated fat (30% of the daily max). The sodium level is worrisome at 1130 mg. That's about half of the daily max for healthy adults! We do like the 3 grams of fiber and 30 grams of protein.
I'm sure you are thinking, "wow, so a McChicken definitely fits within my calories. I can have like 3 and be totally fine." While this could be true, the contents of a McChicken are very low quality and do not provide low saturated fat protein, low fiber carbs, and don't have assorted vitamins and minerals.
Routinely consuming too much sodium, or more than the suggested 2,300 milligrams per day, may jeopardize your heart health long term, says the American Heart Association. Still, if you're only eating McDonald's once or twice a week, Brondo suggests you don't have to be too concerned.
His results serve as sort of the antithesis to the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, which documented how film-maker Morgan Spurlock, then 32, ate McDonald's exclusively for 30 days and gained 24.5lbs (11.1kg) in weight.
The sides (fries, potatoes chips) and drinks contributed more calories at McDonald's while the sandwich itself, more at Subway. Looking at the overall meal, the Subway meal in terms of protein and sugar was slightly healthier than McDonald's and provided more vegetables, however it was higher in sodium.
“Fast food and junk food are essentially the same thing,” she said. “Fast foods from McDonald's or Wendy's and pre-packaged junk food, such as potato chips and other snacks, provide little to no health benefits.
“Go for grilled dishes over fried; chicken and fish over fattier meats, like lamb; tomato or veggie sauces rather than creamy ones; and steamed rice over fried,” advises Laura. She also suggests avoiding sides and other add ons unless they're vegetables as well as eating mindfully and being aware of portion sizes.
McDonald's has been serving the iconic Filet-O-Fish since 1965, and it's one of the healthier fast food fish sandwiches out there. It's the lowest in calories and sodium, compared to the others, says Yelena Wheeler, M.P.H., R.D.N., of MIDSS.
A regular hamburger from McDonald's, for example, has 250 calories, 8 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein. A small order of French fries has 230 calories, 11 grams of fat but only 3 grams of protein.
One of the least healthy aspects of these fries lies in the hydrogenated soybean oil in which they're fried. This oil facilitates the inclusion of trans fats into the cooking process.