McDonald's Food Calorie List

McDonald's probably isn't the first restaurant that you think of when you think about weight loss and healthy eating. But you can find healthy alternatives at McDonald's to supplement your diet without completely restricting yourself from eating fast food. Knowing the calorie counts of popular McDonald's foods gives you the power and knowledge to make better choices while you're going through the drive-through. Though you might initially be discouraged, remember that you can re-portion foods to make them more easily fit into your your caloric allotment.

Hamburgers

McDonald's is famous for its hamburgers. A plain hamburger has 250 calories. Add cheese, and that goes up to 300 calories. According to the McDonald's nutritional information website, a double cheeseburger packs 440 calories. A McDouble has 390 calories and a Quarter Pounder packs 410. The Big Mac weighs in at 540 calories, and the Big n Tasty with cheese follows with 510.

Chicken Sandwiches

McDonald's offers chicken sandwiches, which are meant to be healthier options. But beware of the extra condiments lurking in your healthy lunch. A regular McChicken has a reasonable 360 calories, while the Premium Crispy Chicken Sandwich has 530. Choose the grilled version to get down to 420 calories. The club variety weighs in with 630 calories, but the BLT version only has 470.

Wraps

For snack wraps, these goodies have about as many calories as a full lunch should have. The crispy versions in Ranch, Honey Mustard and Chipotle BBQ have 340, 330 and 330 calories respectively. Get the grilled versions and save 50 calories per wrap.

Fries

The calories in an order of french fries depends on the size. While the sizes are general, they are not exact, as the number of fries in a given size vary from restaurant to restaurant. A small order will cost you 230 calories, a medium, 380 and a large, 500. Think twice about loading up on ketchup too; each packet contains 15 calories.

Chicken Strips and Nuggets

Chicken strips and nuggets seem like they'd be a lower calorie alternative to hamburgers, but it depends on the size of order. A four-piece Chicken McNugget is only 190 calories, without sauce. Move to a six- or 10-piece box, and that jumps to 280 or 460. Get a four pieces and you can enjoy a guilt-free small order of fries as well. A three-piece Premium Chicken Strips order is 400 calories, and a five piece rings in at 660 calories. Your best bet is to go with the McNuggets.

Salads

McDonald's offers salads that are a good choice when you compare size with calories. A large Grilled Southwest Salad is only 320 calories. The highest calorie salad is the Crispy Southwest Salad, at 430. When it comes to salads, choose grilled chicken over crispy, and remember that all calorie numbers are without any dressing or croutons, which will add around 150 calories per packet.