When Ray Kroc started franchising McDonald's in the 1950s, America's passion for fast food was born. With roughly 12,800 McDonald's restaurants in the United States, the Golden Arches are almost a staple of the American teen's diet. Many of the chain's food items are high in calories, fat and sodium, but healthier options are available. The National Institute of Health's Medline Plus recommends a meal-sized salad or a single plain hamburger with a side salad instead of an order of french fries.
Hamburgers
McDonald's offers a variety of hamburgers ranging in size from the 3.5-ounce hamburger to the 11.1-ounce Angus Deluxe. With few exceptions, the hamburgers are high in calories and fat, and the Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese and assortment of Angus burgers are the worst offenders. These sandwiches contain 740 to 790 calories, contribute over 60 percent of the recommended daily allowance for total fat and 82 to 95 percent RDA for saturated fat. The hamburgers also contain high amounts of sodium, particularly sandwiches containing cheese. In fact, the Angus Deluxe contributes 71 percent RDA of sodium, while the Angus Bacon and Cheese contributes 86 percent RDA. Although the hamburgers do contain dietary fiber, protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C, the amounts are minimal.
French Fries
Like most potatoes fried in oil, McDonald's french fries are high in calories and fat. Serving sizes range from 2.5 ounces to 5.4 ounces, and calories range from 230 to 500, with roughly half of the calories from fat. The fries also contain dietary fiber, carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C and calcium. McDonald's cooks all of its fried foods in a canola-blend cooking oil and contain 0 g trans fat per serving.
Chicken
McDonald's offers fried or grilled chicken as nuggets, strips, on sandwiches or in wraps. The serving sizes and nutritional values of the chicken nuggets are similar to McDonald's french fries, although they contain some iron and are higher in sodium. The chicken breast strips range from 400 to 640 calories per serving and account for 25 to 40 percent RDA for total fat. Both the nuggets and the strips contain significant sodium, ranging from 17 to 70 percent RDA. Dipping the chicken in any of the available sauces adds 50 to 170 calories to the total count, and all but the honey dipping sauce add significant amounts of sodium.
Whether grilled or fried, the chicken sandwiches are high in calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium. They also come complete with carbohydrates, sugar, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. The crispy and grilled chicken snack wraps are a bit deceiving. Although promoted as a quick snack, they contain over 250 calories, with 80 to 140 calories from fat, and have a sodium content 33 percent or more RDA.
Salads
McDonald's offers three basic meal-sized salads, available with or without chicken. The salads available without chicken are the healthiest option, as they are low in calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium. Salads with fried chicken contain a high fat content. The salads do have some nutritional value, including high amounts of vitamins A and C. Go easy on the salad dressings, as they can add from 40 to 170 calories to your salad. Although two low-fat dressings are available, both are high in sodium, contributing 30 percent of the RDA.
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