With 64 percent of Americans overweight or obese, according to USA Today, it's nice that health-conscious customers can get salads at McDonald's. However, some McDonald's salads aren't much better than burgers in terms of fat and calories. Fortunately, if you know what to choose, what to avoid, and how to customize your order, you can eat under the Golden Arches without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle.
Benefits
Salads are McDonald's healthiest offerings. Unlike other fast-food salads which rely on iceberg lettuce, USA Today reports that McDonald's salads have nutritious greens, such as arugula, radicchio, and spinach. Those greens are a good source of vitamins A, E, C and K, plus calcium and magnesium, according to a Help Guide article on healthy eating. McDonald's salads also provide fiber. For example, the Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken contains 6g of fiber, 25 percent of the Daily Value.
Best Choices
If you're concerned about calories and fat, choose salads that come with grilled chicken. The Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken has 320 calories and 9g of fat. The Premium Bacon Ranch Salad has the same amount of fat as the Southwest Salad, but only 260 calories. If you don't feel you need the protein, you can also leave off the chicken. Without chicken, the Premium Southwest Salad has 140 calories and 4.5g of fat, with the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad without chicken has 140 calories and 7g of fat.
Worst Choices
Avoid salads with "crispy" chicken: "crispy" is restaurant-speak for "fried." For example, the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken has 370 calories and 20g of fat, which is 31 percent of all the fat you should eat in a whole day, according to the McDonald's nutrition information. The Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken and the Premium Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken aren't any better. The Southwest salad has 430 calories and 20g of fat, while the Caesar salad has 330 calories and 17g of fat.
Dressings
McDonald's allows customers to choose a dressing, which gives you the opportunity to make sure your salad is as healthy as you'd like it. Avoid full-fat dressings such as Creamy Southwest Dressing, which has 100 calories and 6g of fat, and Creamy Ranch, which as 170 calories and a whopping 15g of fat. Instead, go with reduced-fat dressings, such as Low Fat Vinaigrette, which has 40 calories and 3g of fat, or Low Fat Italian, which has 60 calories and 2.5g of fat.
Add-Ons.
McDonald's salads come with add-ons, such as cheese and croutons. You can make your meals healthier by asking to have these left off your salad. For example, hold the butter garlic croutons, and you'll remove 60 calories and 1.5 g of fat from your meal. You can get rid of an additional 50 calories and 3.5g of fat by skipping shredded Parmesan cheese.
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