McDonalds Menu Analysis - What Are the Healthiest Beef Burgers?

Introduction

I have previously analysed McDonalds' range of sandwiches, and found that the larger beef burgers tend to have higher levels of fat, cholesterol and salt. However, we all need a treat now and then, and many people (such as myself) find McDonald's beef burgers more enjoyable to eat than its chicken burgers.

This article shall analyse the beef burger from McDonalds' menu, and identify those with the highest and lowest amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and sodium (salt). This will allow readers to make more nutritionally informed decisions when they make their next visit to McDonalds.

Data

The data was obtained from the official McDonalds.com website. Please note that the statistics are for McDonalds restaurants based in the USA. Regional values may vary, and I have not included any local specialities.

Results

Saturated Fat

Quarter Pounder 7g
Big N' Tasty 8g
Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 9g
Angus Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 10g
Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 10g
Big Mac 10g
Big N' Tasty with Cheese 11g
Double Cheeseburger 11g
Quater Pounder with Cheese 12g
Angus Deluxe 16g
Angos Mushroom & Swiss 17g
Angus Bacon & Cheese 17g
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 19g

Cholesterol

Quarter Pounder 65mg
Big N' Tasty 70mg
Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 75mg
Angvs Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 75mg
Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 75mg
Big Mac 75mg
Double Cheeseburger 80mg
Big N' Tasty with Cheese 85mg
Quater Pounder with Cheese 90mg
Angus Deluxe 135mg
Angvs Mushroom& Swiss 135mg
Angus Bacon & Cheese 145mg
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 155mg

Sodium

Big N' Tasty 720mg
Quarter Pounder 730mg
Angus Mushroom & Swiss Snack Wrap 730mg
Big N' Tasty with Cheese 960mg
Angus Deluxe Snack Wrap 990mg
Big Mac 1040mg
Angus Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap 1080mg
Double Cheeseburger 1150mg
Angus Mushroom& Swiss 1170mg
Quarter Pounder with Cheese 1190mg
Double Quater Pounder with Cheese 1380mg
Angvs Deluxe 1700mg
Angus Bacon & Cheese 2070mg

Analysis

The Quarter Pounder is the top healthiest in terms of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. However, it is not commonly available outside of the United States. After that, the Big N' Tasty is the healthiest burger. This is McDonald's rival to Burger King's Whopper burger. But unfortunately it has been discontinued in the United Kingdom, where I reside. However, the M Burger appears to be similar.

Browsing down the list, the unhealthiest burgers include the Angus Bacon & Cheese, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. It appears that adding bacon and/or cheese increases the level of undesirable contents in a burger. Size also matters, as the Angus and Double Quarter Pounder burgers are larger than average.

Conclusion

This study appears to show that eating less is healthier, as it leads to a lower consumption of unhealthy ingredients. Adding bacon and cheese is also particularly unhealthy, though this study may be skewed in this regard, as cheese can be part of a healthy diet.

Health conscious readers who enjoy eating beef burgers from McDonalds' menu would be advised to choose the smaller burgers that do not contain bacon or cheese.

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