By: Shannon Baker, Morgan Lowrie, Jp Marki, Yensy Ortiz, John Stocks

Trying to find the healthiest burgers at McDonald’s is a little like talking about the most tasteful Lady Gaga costume or the kindest way to wage nuclear war. Once you walk beneath those golden arches, you should just accept the truth: you are being very, very bad, and you are eating something with almost no redeeming nutritional value.

Nevertheless, for those of you who are fond of self-delusion, or who feel the need to find the silver lining in that grease-stained burger wrapper, we have decided to crunch a few numbers in order to come up with the five healthiest options. Calculators and cameras in hand, we set off for McDonald’s in order to chow down on the best of the burgers -- all in the name of science, of course.


When looking at the nutritional information for these burgers, we tried to balance the bad stuff (fat, calories, and sodium) with the paltry amounts of beneficial nutrients (iron, protein, calcium and fibre) that these sandwiches contain. We calculated everything per 100 grams of serving size and came up with a ranking.

So, without further ado, here they are: McDonald’s five ‘healthiest’ burgers.

Interview with a McDonald's Manager

1. The Grilled Chicken (Classic and Southwest)


The star in the McDonald’s lineup is the Grilled Chicken. With only 5 grams of fat and 180.55 calories per 100g serving size, it definitely qualifies as the skinniest kid at fat camp. It is also relatively low in “bad” fats (the trans and saturated variety), and fairly high in protein and fibre. It’s a bit high in sodium, but compared to many of the other burgers it doesn’t do badly even in this category.

The best surprise of all is that it’s relatively tasty. It comes with real vegetables, a pretty decent ciabatta-style bun, and not-excessive amounts of sauce. Although one of our intrepid taste-testers labeled it as “bland,” others felt as if this is one of the best burgers McDonald’s has to offer. Know the Facts

2. The Crispy Chicken (Classic and Southwest)

Runner-up in our “best of the bad” McDonald’s burger health competition is the Crispy Chicken. That crunchy breading means that it scores a little lower in most categories than its grilled counterpart, but overall it is a solid choice for the same reasons: relatively low ‘bad’ fat and calorie content, high protein and fibre, and low cholesterol.

Where it falls a little short of its less-crispy brother is in sodium content. This little chicken patty is sure to make you swell up after consuming 549g of sodium per 100g. And boy, can you taste it -- this burger tastes a lot more like breading and salt than it does chicken. Unlike the Grilled Classic, this burger cannot be described as bland, per se -- but overall, the taste-testers were underwhelmed, especially considering the hefty price tag. Know the Facts

3. Quarter Pounder Without Cheese

Chicken may be all well and good for some, but we all know that sometimes only a real beef burger will do -- a real, juicy beef burger. It is, after all, what McDonald’s is famous for. And, if you are craving that red meat while trying
to avoid a calorie-and-fat induced heart attack, this one is a pretty good choice. It is relatively low in sodium, quite high in protein, and contains lots of calcium. In terms of fat content, it is relatively low overall, although with higher levels of ‘bad’ fats than we’d like to see. Overall, it is not too bad on calorie count, although cholesterol is high. It isn’t going to make Weight Watcher’s most recommended food list, but if that is what you cared about, you wouldn’t be eating at McDonald’s in the first place.

This burger is pretty unimpressive to look at. It comes in an old-fashioned hamburger bun, with no special sauces or any vegetables besides ketchup and a pickle. This is a classic McDonald’s burger from back before they decided to get fancy, and you get exactly what you expect -- a pretty good burger, with a decent balance between taste, price, and less-than-horrifying nutritional stats. Know the Facts


4. Angus Burger
Some people may be surprised to see the Angus Burger on this list. It is a big, meaty burger, and most would assume it’s a big no-no on the nutritional side. Well, we are pleased to report that, when stripped of those sneaky fatty add-ons like bacon and cheese, this burger isn’t quite as bad as it might seem. It is pretty low in sodium and high in protein, and contains a good dose of iron. In terms of fat, it’s a little on the high side, particularly in the saturated and trans fat categories, but at least it still beats out some of the other famous burgers like the Big Mac.

The Angus burger also looks and tastes like a real burger -- it comes with the good bun, has some tasty sauce (although it is slathered on a bit too generously), and comes with tomatoes and lettuce, albeit slightly wilted. It tastes good, too, despite the patty being a little bit watery. Know the Facts

5. Hamburger

Rounding out our list is the classic McDonald’s hamburger. This little guy is fairly low in fat and high in fibre, and contains no extra sauces or toppings to add extra fat. It is a good source of iron and calcium and middle-of-the-road in terms of calories and cholesterol. Its downfalls include high sodium and an inordinately large amount of sugar. Still, if eating at McDonald’s is a nutritional crime, this one definitely counts as a misdemeanor.

Unfortunately, although the nutritional stats aren’t bad,
the taste certainly is. This burger is about as bland as they come -- the patty is thin and dry, the bun chewy and tasteless. Frankly, you might as well eat the cardboard box; it would probably be healthier, and the taste would be similar. If you are going to eat at McDonalds, our opinion is: get a real burger. Know the Facts

Sides

In recent years, McDonald’s has vastly expanded its array of side orders in order to offer a little more variety and a few more healthy options.

Instead of french fries, a health-conscious consumer can now order a garden salad (with no dressing, of course). This is low in fat and calories, and high in vitamins -- good across the board. The spicy thai salad


offers a much bigger shot of fibre, but has the disadvantage of being much higher in sodium and sugar.

For dessert, we suggest two of the sweeter sides: the apple slices with caramel or the fruit and yogurt parfait. Both are low in fat, calories, cholesterol and sodium and, although they each have more than 10 grams of sugar per 100g serving, that is still significantly less than many of the other dessert-menu offerings.

On the beverage side, we all know that water is the best and healthiest of the drinks. But, barring that, one can get a nice hefty shot of calcium by ordering the 1% partly skimmed milk.

Know the Facts

Conclusion

Well, that’s it: the best of the bad of McDonald’s burgers. This restaurant’s fare will never be a nutritionist’s dream, but there is something inherently comforting about a McDonald’s burger -- something that brings most people back to childhood, when things like saturated fat and sodium levels just didn’t matter. This list shows the best way to order up that super-sized helping of nostalgia. Just do it with a salad on the side.

McHistory on Dipity.

Ronald McDonald's Fatty Funhouse

There is a certain image that pops into your head when you hear the words “unhealthy food”: it’s a Big Mac. But let’s not split hairs, McDonald’s restaurants on the whole contribute to (Over 99 billion served!) international scale-tipping and the decline of healthy nutrition everywhere the golden arches shine.

Here, we focus in on the biggest (and littlest) burger offenders McDonald’s has to offer as well as the side orders that put that extra hole in your belt. So take a deep breath and suck in that tummy for the last time. You’re about to take an unhealthy tour of the fast food you haven’t seen since Super Size Me made it infamous.

Bon appétit!

Filet-o…..Fish?

Don’t let the diminutive appearance of the Filet-O-Fish fool you… this sucker packs a punch in terms of fat, sodium, and calories, out-scoring its beefy counterparts. It’s one of the worst sandwich in the calories per 100g department. The whole thing is 410 calories and trust me, it’s not a very big sandwich. You’ll also have ingested almost one third of your recommended daily allowance of sodium. And you haven’t even had your fries yet!

One Filet-O-Fish is the equivalent of eating four small bags of M&Ms. Too bad calorie count doesn’t equal taste. Rumoured to be made of pollock, the Filet-O-Fish suffers from a flavor identity crisis whilst attempting to climb out from the battered, deep-fried, processed-cheese, and tartar sauce laden accompaniments. Only the bun had less flavor than the fish. To burn off one of these sandwiches would require a 150lb person to run 6.75 kilometers. Preferably away from McDonalds.

Double the Fun

Most of us wouldn’t have much trouble discarding the fragrant Filet-o-Fish, especially after reading about its less-than nutritional qualities. But who among us hasn’t salivated, hungover or not, at the thought of McDonald’s flagship burger, the Big Mac. Why not double your displeasure and take a look at the fattier, beefier Double Big Mac?

The half pound of “meat” is what really packs the calorie punch in this sandwich, serving up 330 of the whopping 700 overall calories. A vigorous young man only needs 2000 in a day.

Caption: “Overflowing with flavour”

Like the poster says, flavour isn’t the only thing this (double) beef stack is overflowing with. How about 40 grams of fat and 90 percent of your daily value of saturated and trans fat? And that’s probably not a daily value you should be approaching too often, especially when Health Canada and countless other health authorities have warned us about the risks of consuming such fats, namely heart disease.

Not to be outdone, the sodium content of the four-patty phenom weighs in at 1520 mg, or about two-thirds of all the sodium you ought to be having in one day. But there’s a bonus: high blood pressure! And you guessed it, that’s a factor in heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Yikes.

Double the heartburn

When you buy a Double Quarter Pounder Burger with cheese, you don’t really think that you’re about to eat a half pound of meat.

By the time you begin to feel the burger sink into your gut, you realize how much meat you’ve eaten. But of course you don’t feel that guilty. At least, your burger had bread, ketchup and three pickle slices! That means a portion of vegetables and grains, right?

How does your body feel after having eaten, in one go, 69 per cent of your fat daily value? Well, you’ll get heartburn, for one. And you won’t likely be hungry for several hours. If and when you do eat again, you’ll probably have to stick to apples or celery.

This burger is hard on your body because it contains half of the recommended amount of sodium for the average person in a day. Not to mention it shares the title of most saturated and trans fat with the next burger on our hit list.

760 calories? Think about it!
It takes around four hours of work to empty your stomach. Don’t be lazy! For the average 150lb person, you’d have to bike from Mount Royal to Repentigny at practically light speed to burn all the calories in this one sandwich. Or, you know, you could just have sex for almost nine hours.

The King of McDo

Step aside, kiddies, the Big Kahuna is in town. The dubious honour of McDonald’s biggest and baddest burger goes to the Angus Burger with Bacon and Cheddar. Coming in at a whopping 770 calories, 10 more than the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, this sandwich packs a wallop. Claiming to be McDo’s highest quality burger, the quarter pound patty is made of real Canadian Black Angus beef. The patriot in me is feeling all warm and fuzzy…or maybe just really full?

Accompanying the meat is a surprisingly high amount of veggies for a McDonald’s burger: tomatoes, red onions and romaine (not iceberg!) lettuce. Whoa! It must be healthy, right? Well…not really. Throw in two pieces of bacon, a fat slice of cheddar, some garlic dressing and a greasy ciabatta bun and this thing has the battle for fattiest burger all tied up with the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Want the same amount of calories in a healthier format? Try 11 apples or 10 large boiled eggs. Has it sunk in yet? The average person would have to weight train for three and a half hours or do the breast stroke in a pool for an hour to burn off an Angus Burger with Bacon and Cheddar. Ouch!

Tiny, but deadly

A harmless light snack?

Nope! The mischievous Pesto Crispy Chicken McMini is anything but harmless at 350 calories each! This baby burger is more dangerous than you’d think.

The oily appearance might give you a hint, but the fat ugly truth goes way beyond this oily sandwich. Once you get past the greasiness of the sandwich at first glance and try taking an actual bite, there’s not much to write home about. It tastes even greasier than it looks!

There you have it. You’ve eaten your little McMini in two bites. Feeling full though? Definitely not. You might be inclined to order another…or how about two more?

If you want to get rid of that sudden rush of guilt after having almost a third of your recommended daily intake of fat in no time, you can always jump on the first treadmill you see and start running. At a moderate speed, you’ll burn it all off in about 40 minutes.

So next time you come across these deceptive little snacks, you might want to fight the temptation to buy one and go for some veggies instead.

Sideshow

If we reached one conclusion about our side-orders, it’s that they all looked/sounded/smelled better than they tasted. Usually.

The Cinnamon Melts resembled big chunky poutine, but not in a good way.
At 460 calories, I’d like my food to at least be pretty…

The Rolo McFlurry contained angry chocolate bits that resembled pellets. I was tempted to spit them out like watermelon seeds but we were in a public place. 760 calories of pure fun.

The “baked” fruit pie left a grease slick on the hands. And why buy only one pie when they practically give you the second pie for an additional $0.20. What’s another 270 calories? Bring it on…

The Double Chocolate Muffin with Oreo Crumble (seriously, that’s what it’s called) has more calories than the previously maligned Filet-O-Fish. 460 calories.

And the large chocolate Triple-Thick milkshake almost hurt our experimenter in the process of trying to suck it up a straw. One of these babies will meet more than half of the average adult's daily caloric requirements (1160 calories!). And it's not even considered a dessert; it's listed in the drink menu!

McConclusion: Pass the Pepcid

It says a lot when five full-time student who are on a budget leave food untouched. Even with our lowered standards, we had trouble viewing what McDonald's served as actual "food" (except Tara who's still lovin' it). Going to McDonald's already knowing the sheer amount of bad stuff in every menu item we ordered made eating the...product...even more interesting (or painful). For some of us, it was our first time in ages dining in the humble abode of Ronald McDonald.

We have an idea for McDonald's: Don't make the Playland just for kids! We grownups need to burn off all the crap you're feeding us too! Gymland anyone?

If the pictures haven't scared you off, take a look at the cold hard facts. Statistics don't lie! Anyway, we hope by now that you aren't lovin' it, and if you still are, at least thinkin' about it next time you go to McDo.

Check out a fun montage video of our unhealthy McDonald's experience:

http://wwwo.youtube.com/watch?v=xW-lm6esyaM

THE 5 HEALTHIEST BURGERS AT

* OR HOW TO NOT FEEL COMPLETELY TERRIBLE ABOUT EATING AT BURGER KING *

Determining the five healthiest burgers at Burger King is a bit of an odd task. While McDonald's and other fast-food chains have scrambled to fill their menus with less fattening meals, Burger King has stayed the course, thumbing its nose at health trends and serving up more and more ridiculous amounts of greasy goodness. BK is comfortable with itself. It has no qualms about fattening up middle-class heifers and inflating dead-eyed suburbanites with cholesterol and saturated fats. That is Burger King’s function.

But if we are to peruse the menu and decide which BK treat is the healthiest, we are merely deciding which items are the least unhealthy – a somewhat absurd task. If you’re really concerned about eating right, you won’t eat at Burger King.

So to pretend that this entire notion is not absurd, let us imagine that we just woke up in an alternate universe. In this universe, Burger King has taken over our country and has installed a literal Burger monarchy. In this new fascist state, Burger King has become the only purveyor of food, forcing you and your fellow nutritionally impoverished citizens to perpetually choose between Whoppers, Stackers and Spicy Chicken Crisp Sandwiches. With the threat of scurvy, gout and diabetes, you have decided to eat only the healthiest burgers that your King will provide.

So what is the healthiest burger? Why is it the healthiest?

Gillian Salmon – a dietitian and President Elect of the New Brunswick Association of Dietitians – says that we should be “looking for a burger that's reasonably low in fats, higher in protein and higher in fiber, while moderately low in calories.”

It goes without saying (but we’re saying it anyway) that all of these burgers are healthier without cheese and mayo. A slice of cheese will typically add 40 calories and four more grams of fat, while a normal dollop of mayo – 12 grams per serving – adds 80 more calories and nine grams of fat. And don’t even think about adding another patty of beef. Each patty adds another 110 calories and eight more grams of fat. For the sake of your waistline, remove excess beef, cheese and mayo from the equation. It’s not rocket science. This junk will make you chubby.

Bar-chart for all burgers: http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/visualizations/new/bar-chart/burger-kings-five-healthiest-burge/3

BK’s Veggie Burger is the obvious choice for a health nut. Higher in fiber (3g), lower in sodium (640g) and calories (270) and vastly lower in fat (6g), the Veggie Burger is your clear-cut choice for eating “right”. It is also a very friendly option for your vegetarian friend who was coerced into dining with you. Realistically, a vegetarian shouldn’t even set foot in a Burger King. They should throw a Molotov Cocktail through the window instead.

While the Flame Broiled Hamburger is the most meagre of BK’s treats, it is also the least damaging beef burger. It has the lowest sodium content (500mg) and respectable calorie (260) and cholesterol (40mg) counts. But here’s the thing: the regular burger is only OK because it is the smallest that Burger King has to offer. At 111g per serving, will it fill you up? Maybe. Will it fill this guy up? No.

The first chicken burger on our list is this fashionable dandy. The Tender Grill Chicken Sandwich is a relic of past diet crazes, when people finally realized that the grill is much better than the deep fryer. When you compare this burger to its cousin, The Tender Crisp Chicken Sandwich, you’ll probably opt for the grill. The TGC has 270 less calories, 20mg less cholesterol and 20g less fat.

On the other hand, if we take Gill’s advice - remember our dietitian friend Gill? - and consider fiber and protein content, the TCC looks a little more appealing. With 7g more protein and 1g more fibre, it might be good for someone with a more active lifestyle, needs the protein and can burn off the fat.

Wait, did we just say that a BK burger would be good for someone with an active lifestyle? Wow. Moving on...

The Whopper Jr. is a decent option for someone who MUST have a Whopper, but is also wary of their protruding pot belly. With all of the wonderful ingredients of its big daddy, the Whopper, but at half the size (148g/serving vs. 290g/serving), the Whopper Jr. ain’t so bad. With a comparatively low amount of calories (340 vs. 670), cholesterol (45mg vs. 80mg) and fat (19g vs. 40), the Whopper Jr. does almost literally half the damage of a Whopper. Take out the mayo you reduce your fat content by 9g more. That’s not a bad looking burger, to be honest. Just don’t screw things up by up-sizing your fries and coke because you don’t think the W-Jr. will fill you up.

The Spicy Chik’n Crisp Sandwich shouldn’t even be mentioned, but if we didn’t talk about it this would be a top four list as opposed to a top five list and that would just be weird. With 460 calories, 30g of fat and 5g of saturated fats, it is the fattiest burger so far. Add in the fact that its serving size is only 138g - making it the second smallest burger on our list - and you’ll realize that this little fellah packs a punch. What’s worse is that Burger King has 16 more burgers, each one greasier and more fattening than the last.

While BK and other fast food joints offer us “deals” by providing much larger portions for only a couple extra cents, research has shown that the more we have in front of us the more likely we are to eat it - duh. Here’s the rule; double the size = double the calories. So instead of taking the large coke and fries to accompany your triple whopper, think small! Opt for the small coke and fries and choose the regular flame broiled hamburger. If you’re really a bargain hunter and can’t refuse a good deal, then take the large but just split it with a friend. The best choice in terms of calorie size and price would be the kids meal. The portions are all smaller AND YOU GET A TOY!

- example of getting a toy with your meal:

If a toy isn't enough to make you settle for a happy meal, then at least be cautious when choosing your sides. STAY AWAY from empty calories. A medium coke has 230 calories, that's 10 calories more then an order of french fries. Not only are all those calories empty and not even that tasty, they also contain about a third of a cup of sugar, ya that's a cavity waiting to happen. Obviously the smartest thing to do is stick to water ALWAYS. If you really can’t be satisfied with water, your weird, but try a Minute Maid Orange Juice, 150 calories, 0g of fat and at least you get 2g of protein and some good old vitamin C - or you can always choose milk, yummy calcium to keep your bones happy and healthy.

Instead of choosing the ever-so-tempting french fries (220 calories, 11g of fat and 500 mg of sodium), stick to the garden salad. It’s the healthiest side available at BK with only 120 calories and 7g of fat. Plus, those scrumptious greens are filled with protein, fibre and vitamins. But beware of salad dressing, some can have as much calories and fat as a deep fried chicken sandwich. The dressing of choice is balsamic vinegar and oil.

Surprisingly (read: ridiculously inexplicable), the onion rings are less damaging than the french fries with 150 calories, 8g of fat and 290mg of sodium. While those stats aren’t all too impressive, the 2g of protein and 2g of fiber make the onion rings pretty passable.

DING! fries are done:


Ultimately, it’s best to stay away from french fries and coke. As for desert, you don't need it, especially these apple fries. If you’re trying to eat healthy don’t go to Burger King and if you have to stuff your face with BK then at least say no to the sweets.
source

Perhaps the most damning evidence against Burger King is the sodium content of all its burgers. The Dietitians of Canada website states that in order to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, a typical serving should contain no more than 200mg of sodium. We determined that the BK Veggie Burger was healthiest, but it contains more than three times the suggested amount of sodium per serving with 640mg. The Flame Broiled Hamburger contains the lowest amount of sodium, but it still has 500mg. Even the side salad has 500mg of sodium, for crying out loud!

In conclusion, most of the food we mentioned isn’t all that unhealthy if enjoyed in moderation. Though it pains us to admit, you could probably eat somewhat healthily if Burger King was your only option.

But it isn’t your only option.

So go eat some celery or something.