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What to eat instead

Here's some great simple and inexpensive recipes to have instead of eating at McDonald's:

Cookout Burgers
Cajun Cheeseburger
Quick Cheeseburger Mac
Southwestern Cheeseburgers
Chopped Cobb Salad
Chopped Taco Salad
Asian Turkey Burgers
Turkey Burger

Eating Healthier at Fast Food and Chain Restaurants

Baja Fresh
Boston Market
Burger King
Chick-fil-A
Chopt
Cosi
El Pollo Loco
Hardee's
Jack in the Box
Kentucky Fried Chicken
La Madeleine
Maggiano's Little Italy
McDonald's
Noodles & Company
Olive Garden
Panda Express
Panera Bread
Popeyes
Ruby Tuesday
SouperSalad
Souplantation
Subway
Sweetgreen
Taco Bell
Wendy's

Frozen food options

Veggie Gourmet: The All American Burger and The Pizza Burger
evol Foods: Shredded Beef Burrito
Sam's Choice (Walmart): Burgundy Braised Short Ribs
Good Food Made Simple: Southwestern Veggie Breakfast Bowl and Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl
Lean Cuisine: Chicken Ranch Club Flatbread Melt
Michael Angelo's Pocket Calzones: Spinach & Vegetable, Turkey & Cheddar, or Pepperoni & Cheese Pizza

 
 

The Health of It All

Eating Healthier at Fast Food Restaurants: McDonald's

McDonald'sThere is no doubt that eating at McDonalds is not a great choice. Most of the foods that they serve are full of salt, fat and highly processed ingredients but there are some choices that might work well for you

I created this list so that if you are stuck eating there for some reason you can at least find an alternative that is healthier for you. The items listed fall generally under 400 calories or so and under 15 grams of fat (which is a fairly good guideline for you). I've also included a printable version so that you can print it out and take it with you for reference.

McDonald's

Item Calories Fat (g) Trans Fat (g) Fiber Sodium (mg)
Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait 150 2 0 1 75
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal 310 4 0 5 140
Hamburger 250 8 0 2 480
McChicken 350 15 0 2 600
Small French Fries 230 11 0 3 160
Side Salad (without dressing) 15 0 0 1 15
Apple Slices 15 0 0 0 0
Cuties 35 0 0 0 0

Download this list in PDF format. Don't have Adobe® Acrobat Reader®? Download it now.