How Does Mcdonald's Nutrition Stack Up?
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Fast food is a huge part of our lives whether we eat it or not. We see dozens of ads every day on TV, billboards, buses, emails, mobile ads, and many more. We are constantly reminded of the convenience, affordability and improved "healthy" qualities of various fast food items. 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 shell taco? I'd like to start a series of posts comparing the nutrition facts of various fast food chains vs their homemade counterparts. Today I'll show you some of Mcdonald's nutrition facts compared to the nutrition facts of a healthier, homemade option, then you can be the judge on whether saving a dollar or a few minutes is worth the nutritional differences.
Mcdonald's Nutrition - Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese
Vs
Homemade Version - Quarter Pound Burger w/ Wheat Bun and Cheese
Mcdonald's Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese:
Calories: 520
Calories from fat: 240
Total Fat: 26g
Saturated Fat: 12g
Trans Fat: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 95mg
Sodium: 1100mg
Total Carbs: 41g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 30g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 2%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 25%
Homemade Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese on Wheat Bun
Calories: 401
Calories from fat: 118
Total Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Polyunsaturated Fat:.6g
Monounsaturated Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 93mg
Sodium: 723mg
Potassium: 469mg
Total Carbs: 31g
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 35g
Vitamin A: 16%
Calcium: 57%
Iron: 3%
There you have it. The nutrition facts for a fast food joint and a homemade burger. Let's take a minute to discuss the differences in Mcdonald's nutrition and the homemade version. We will start with the fat content. the Mcdonald's version has more saturated fat and trans fat (the bad fats) while the homemade burger has higher amounts of mono and polyunsaturated fat (the OK fats). The Mcdonald's nutrition shows higher amounts of cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and Iron. The homemade burger shows higher amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins and potassium.
It is 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 nutrition and taking a few extra minutes to make your own burger, you'll be taking in less fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, and more fiber, protein potassium and vitamins. In other words, you turn Mcdonald's nutrition into muscle building nutrition. A homemade burger with 35g of protein, 4g of fiber, some good fats and much less starch makes for a muscle building, delicious dinner.
Keep an eye for my next fast food comparison coming soon!
Generally, people cut the carbs in their diet to lose weight. But does it really help them to get the result; well, the answer is a definite 'yes'. Although, low carb diets have proved quite effective in losing weight, it does not show long term results and this fact is very important to know for every person who is keto net carbs or total carbs on a low carb diet. One should try to find long term solution so that the hard work connected with diets should not go to waste. It will be more advisable that along with low carb foods, you should also look in to other ways to lose weight without affecting your health.
People who follow low carb diets may have to face some serious consequences. Since low carb diets are monotonous, they are considered dangerous if continued for a long time. Carbohydrates provide energy to the body and foods, containing carbohydrates provide important vitamins and minerals to fulfill the requirement of the body of staying healthy. To stop the total intake of carbs means inviting stroke and other heart problems. If you stick to low carb diets for a long time, then you may have to face catastrophic irreversible consequences and it will become difficult to repair the damage.
Deleting carbs from diet means starvation to the body and depriving it from important needed vitamins and minerals to perform well and stay healthy. With low carb diet, the energy level in the body goes down and it feels low and can not function properly. So the question, 'will cutting carbs help me lose weight' has a positive answer but worthless.
Actually, with low carb diets, the weight you are losing is mostly in the form of water and when you again start taking carbs in your diet, you are to the square one once more. You start gaining weight just after two or three times of regular diet. It can be said that the diet was effective up to the time you were sticking to it and also depriving your body from the important nutrients.
Foods with low carbs are low in fiber and high in fats which can lead to constipation problems and even colon cancer. The body will become weak due to the loss of energy which is provided by carbohydrates. Don't forget that carbs make the bones and muscles strong and also improve the immune system of the body. If carbs are replaced with high proteins, chances are that calcium may flow out of the body with urine causing loss of bone mass. This all is the result of low carb or without carb diet. Do you think that you still would like to follow the low carb diet and face the consequences?
Cutting carbs can help anyone to reduce weight but the fact is that our body requires all the important nutrients from different sources. Whether they are carbs, vitamins, fats or minerals etc, for the wear and tear of the body or to maintain the energy levels, all the nutrients play their important part and eliminating a particular thing from the diet can prove hazardous for the body. A moderate part of every thing should be included in your routine diet and with regular exercise you can keep yourself fit for a longer period of time without harming your body.