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Butter vs. McDonald's Big Mac — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Important differences between butter and mcDonald's Big Mac

  • Butter has more vitamin A; however, mcDonald's Big Mac has more vitamin B12, iron, vitamin B3, zinc, vitamin B1, and phosphorus.
  • Butter's daily need coverage for saturated fat is 233% more.
  • Butter has 13 times more vitamin A than mcDonald's Big Mac. Butter has 2499IU of vitamin A, while mcDonald's Big Mac has 188IU.
  • McDonald's Big Mac is lower in saturated fat.
  • McDonald's Big Mac has a higher glycemic index than butter.

The food varieties used in the comparison are Butter, without salt and McDONALD'S, BIG MAC.

Infographic

Butter vs McDonald's Big Mac infographic
Infographic link

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Butter
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 1.4% 7.2% 2.1% 0.75% 5.3% 2.5% 10% 1.4% 0.52% 5.5%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 14% 35% 16% 75% 33% 52% 52% 60% 27% 0%
Contains less SodiumSodium -97.6%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +900%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +383.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +654.2%
Contains more IronIron +9900%
Contains more CopperCopper +512.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +2022.2%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +408.3%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +5050%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Butter
6
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 228% 46% 0% 1.3% 7.8% 0.79% 6.6% 0.69% 21% 18% 2.3% 10%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 1.3% 0% 0% 0% 44% 48% 63% 0% 0% 110% 0% 35% 0%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +3420%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +514.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +7957.1%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +417.6%
Contains more FolateFolate +1433.3%
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Butter
1
81% 18%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 81.11 g
Carbs: 0.06 g
Water: 17.94 g
Other: 0.04 g
12% 15% 20% 51% 2%
Protein: 11.82 g
Fats: 14.96 g
Carbs: 20.08 g
Water: 51.3 g
Other: 1.84 g
Contains more FatsFats +442.2%
Contains more ProteinProtein +1290.6%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +33366.7%
Contains more WaterWater +186%
Contains more OtherOther +4500%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Butter
2
66% 30% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 50.489 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 23.43 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 3.01 g
50% 46% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.803 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 3.474 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.306 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +574.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +883.7%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -92.5%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Butter McDonald's Big Mac
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Lower in price ok
Rich in minerals ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Butter McDonald's Big Mac DV% diff.
Saturated fat 50.489g 3.803g 212%
Fats 81.11g 14.96g 102%
Vitamin A 684µg 76%
Cholesterol 215mg 36mg 60%
Monounsaturated fat 23.43g 3.474g 50%
Vitamin B12 0.17µg 0.88µg 30%
Iron 0.02mg 2mg 25%
Calories 717kcal 257kcal 23%
Protein 0.85g 11.82g 22%
Vitamin B3 0.042mg 3.384mg 21%
Sodium 11mg 460mg 20%
Polyunsaturated fat 3.01g 0.306g 18%
Zinc 0.09mg 1.91mg 17%
Vitamin E 2.32mg 15%
Phosphorus 24mg 122mg 14%
Vitamin B1 0.005mg 0.176mg 14%
Vitamin B2 0.034mg 0.209mg 13%
Folate 3µg 46µg 11%
Copper 0.016mg 0.098mg 9%
Calcium 24mg 116mg 9%
Manganese 0.004mg 0.206mg 9%
Carbs 0.06g 20.08g 7%
Fiber 0g 1.6g 6%
Vitamin K 7µg 6%
Potassium 24mg 181mg 5%
Magnesium 2mg 20mg 4%
Choline 18.8mg 3%
Fructose 1.69g 2%
Selenium 1µg 2%
Vitamin B5 0.11mg 2%
Vitamin C 0mg 0.4mg 0%
Net carbs 0.06g 18.48g N/A
Sugar 0.06g 3.97g N/A
Vitamin B6 0.003mg 0%
Trans fat 0.588g N/A
Tryptophan 0.012mg 0%
Threonine 0.038mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.051mg 0%
Leucine 0.083mg 0%
Lysine 0.067mg 0%
Methionine 0.021mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.041mg 0%
Valine 0.057mg 0%
Histidine 0.023mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 0.315g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 2.166g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Butter McDonald's Big Mac
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
26%
Butter
23%
McDonald's Big Mac
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
4%
Butter
36%
McDonald's Big Mac

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 179mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 46.686g)
Which food is cheaper?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is cheaper (difference - $1.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Butter
Butter is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.91g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Butter
Butter contains less Sodium (difference - 449mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Butter
Butter is lower in glycemic index (difference - 66)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Butter - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173430/nutrients
  2. McDonald's Big Mac - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170720/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.