Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up

French fries vs. McDonald's Quarter Pounder — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

Important differences between french fries and McDonald's Quarter Pounder

  • French fries have more potassium and fiber; however, McDonald's Quarter Pounder has more vitamin B12, vitamin B2, iron, zinc, and vitamin B3.
  • McDonald's Quarter Pounder's daily need coverage for vitamin B12 is 53% more.
  • French fries have 3 times more potassium than McDonald's Quarter Pounder. French fries have 579mg of potassium, while McDonald's Quarter Pounder has 227mg.
  • French fries are lower in saturated fat.

The food varieties used in the comparison are Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil and McDONALD'S, QUARTER POUNDER.

Infographic

French fries vs McDonald's Quarter Pounder 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.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 25% 5.4% 51% 30% 41% 14% 54% 27% 32% 4.9%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 25% 20% 90% 36% 73% 53% 56% 26% 0%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +59.1%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +155.1%
Contains more CopperCopper +15.9%
Contains less SodiumSodium -50.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +24.1%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +366.7%
Contains more IronIron +197.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +438%
~equal in Phosphorus ~124mg

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.
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 16% 0% 33% 0% 43% 9% 56% 35% 86% 0% 28% 23% 20%
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 3% 0% 0% 0% 46% 79% 83% 0% 0% 160% 0% 42% 0%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +422.2%
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 B2Vitamin B2 +782.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +48.2%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +86.7%
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B1 ~0.183mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
3% 15% 41% 39% 2%
Protein: 3.43 g
Fats: 14.73 g
Carbs: 41.44 g
Water: 38.55 g
Other: 1.85 g
14% 12% 22% 50% 2%
Protein: 14.1 g
Fats: 11.55 g
Carbs: 22.17 g
Water: 50.37 g
Other: 1.81 g
Contains more FatsFats +27.5%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +86.9%
Contains more ProteinProtein +311.1%
Contains more WaterWater +30.7%
~equal in Other ~1.81g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
17% 44% 39%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 2.336 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 5.969 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 5.398 g
47% 49% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 4.008 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 4.202 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.283 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -41.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +42.1%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1807.4%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient French fries McDonald's Quarter Pounder DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0µg 1.28µg 53%
Polyunsaturated fat 5.398g 0.283g 34%
Vitamin B6 0.372mg 29%
Vitamin B2 0.039mg 0.344mg 23%
Protein 3.43g 14.1g 21%
Zinc 0.5mg 2.69mg 20%
Iron 0.81mg 2.41mg 20%
Cholesterol 0mg 39mg 13%
Vitamin B5 0.58mg 12%
Vitamin E 1.67mg 11%
Potassium 579mg 227mg 10%
Vitamin B3 3.004mg 4.452mg 9%
Fiber 3.8g 1.6g 9%
Vitamin K 11.2µg 9%
Sodium 210mg 427mg 9%
Saturated fat 2.336g 4.008g 8%
Calcium 18mg 84mg 7%
Choline 36.8mg 7%
Folate 30µg 56µg 7%
Carbs 41.44g 22.17g 6%
Fats 14.73g 11.55g 5%
Monounsaturated fat 5.969g 4.202g 4%
Vitamin C 4.7mg 0.9mg 4%
Magnesium 35mg 22mg 3%
Fructose 2.2g 3%
Calories 312kcal 244kcal 3%
Selenium 0.9µg 2%
Manganese 0.247mg 0.199mg 2%
Copper 0.124mg 0.107mg 2%
Vitamin B1 0.17mg 0.183mg 1%
Net carbs 37.64g 20.57g N/A
Sugar 0.3g 5.13g N/A
Phosphorus 125mg 124mg 0%
Trans fat 0.06g 0.724g N/A
Omega-3 - ALA 0.407g N/A
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid 0.001g N/A
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.029g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.007g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 4.898g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
French fries McDonald's Quarter Pounder
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

People also compare

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
27%
French fries
32%
McDonald's Quarter Pounder
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
28%
French fries
40%
McDonald's Quarter Pounder

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in glycemic index?
McDonald's Quarter Pounder
McDonald's Quarter Pounder is lower in glycemic index (difference - 70)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
French fries
French fries is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 39mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
French fries
French fries is lower in Sugar (difference - 4.83g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
French fries
French fries contains less Sodium (difference - 217mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
French fries
French fries is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 1.672g)
Which food is cheaper?
?
The foods are relatively equal in price ($)
Which food is richer in minerals?
?
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.
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. French fries - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170698/nutrients
  2. McDonald's Quarter Pounder - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170321/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.