McDonald's restaurants offer hundreds of unique menu items, from entrees and snacks to desserts and beverages. Menu items vary greatly in their nutritional value depending on their ingredients and size, but each product can help you meet some of your daily nutritional needs. As the general population's awareness and concern for nutrition has grown, McDonald's has made increasing efforts to use natural ingredients, provide low-fat and low-calorie items and offer alternative meals for people with special dietary needs.
Calories
McDonald's sandwiches range in calories from 250 for a plain Hamburger to 790 for an Angus, Bacon & Cheese. Beef-based sandwiches and sandwiches with double patties generally contain more calories. A small order of French fries contains 230 calories, while a large contains 500. Snacks, such as chicken nuggets and strips, range from 190 to 660 calories per serving. The calories in the salads range from 20 calories for a side salad to 430 calories for a Premium Southwest Salad with Crispy Chicken. Breakfast sandwiches range from 300 calories for an Egg McMuffin to 660 calories for a Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel.
Fat
McDonald's classic Hamburger contains 9 g of fat, while a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 42 g. Chicken sandwiches contain between 10 and 28 g of fat. A large serving of fries contains 28 g of fat, while a small has 11 g. Snacks range from 12 g of fat in a four-piece order of Chicken Nuggets to 40 g in a five-piece serving of Chicken Strips. McDonald's salads range from 4 to 20 g of fat. A plain English muffin breakfast contains 3 g of fat, while a Sausage Biscuit with Egg contains 37 g.
Carbs
All McDonald's sandwiches are fairly high in carbs and range from 31 g in the basic Hamburger to 63 g in the Angus Bacon & Cheese sandwich. Fries contain between 29 and 63 g of carbs, depending on size. Chicken Nuggets contain 11 to 27 g of carbs, also depending on size, and Chicken Strips contain 23 to 39 g of carbs. Salads have between 9 and 38 g of carbs, while breakfast sandwiches have 27 to 56 g.
Protein
McDonald's sandwiches contain between 12 and 48 g of protein, with beef-based sandwiches generally having higher protein content than chicken or fish. Fries have 3 to 6 g of protein, while chicken snacks have between 10 and 24 g. A basic Caesar salad has 7 g of protein, while the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Chicken contains 33 g. An English muffin contains just 5 g of protein, while a Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel contains 33 g.
Vitamins Minerals
McDonald's salads contain the highest vitamin and mineral content of all their products, offering more than 100 percent of the daily value for vitamin A and 50 percent of vitamin C in their Premium salads. Fries are fairly high in vitamin C as well, offering about 20 percent of the daily value in a large size. Sandwiches contain a high amount of calcium and iron, with up to 40 and 35 percent of the daily value of each mineral, respectively. Chicken Nuggets and Strips have very little vitamin or mineral content.
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