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

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Important differences between mcDonald's Big Mac and butter

  • McDonald's Big Mac has more vitamin B12, iron, vitamin B3, zinc, vitamin B1, and phosphorus; however, butter has more vitamin A.
  • Butter's daily need coverage for saturated fat is 233% more.
  • McDonald's Big Mac has 100 times more iron than butter. McDonald's Big Mac has 2mg of iron, while butter has 0.02mg.
  • Butter is lower in sodium.
  • McDonald's Big Mac has a higher glycemic index than butter.

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

Infographic

McDonald's Big Mac vs Butter 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 14% 35% 16% 75% 33% 52% 52% 60% 27% 0%
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%
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%
Contains less SodiumSodium -97.6%

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 1.3% 0% 0% 0% 44% 48% 63% 0% 0% 110% 0% 35% 0%
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%
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 ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
Butter
1
81% 18%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 81.11 g
Carbs: 0.06 g
Water: 17.94 g
Other: 0.04 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +1290.6%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +33366.7%
Contains more WaterWater +186%
Contains more OtherOther +4500%
Contains more FatsFats +442.2%

Fat Type Comparison

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

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
McDonald's Big Mac Butter
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 McDonald's Big Mac Butter DV% diff.
Saturated fat 3.803g 50.489g 212%
Fats 14.96g 81.11g 102%
Vitamin A 684µg 76%
Cholesterol 36mg 215mg 60%
Monounsaturated fat 3.474g 23.43g 50%
Vitamin B12 0.88µg 0.17µg 30%
Iron 2mg 0.02mg 25%
Calories 257kcal 717kcal 23%
Protein 11.82g 0.85g 22%
Vitamin B3 3.384mg 0.042mg 21%
Sodium 460mg 11mg 20%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.306g 3.01g 18%
Zinc 1.91mg 0.09mg 17%
Vitamin E 2.32mg 15%
Phosphorus 122mg 24mg 14%
Vitamin B1 0.176mg 0.005mg 14%
Vitamin B2 0.209mg 0.034mg 13%
Folate 46µg 3µg 11%
Copper 0.098mg 0.016mg 9%
Calcium 116mg 24mg 9%
Manganese 0.206mg 0.004mg 9%
Carbs 20.08g 0.06g 7%
Fiber 1.6g 0g 6%
Vitamin K 7µg 6%
Potassium 181mg 24mg 5%
Magnesium 20mg 2mg 4%
Choline 18.8mg 3%
Fructose 1.69g 2%
Selenium 1µg 2%
Vitamin B5 0.11mg 2%
Vitamin C 0.4mg 0mg 0%
Net carbs 18.48g 0.06g N/A
Sugar 3.97g 0.06g 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
McDonald's Big Mac Butter
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
23%
McDonald's Big Mac
26%
Butter
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
36%
McDonald's Big Mac
4%
Butter

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