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

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A recap on differences between McDonald's Big Mac and McDonald's french fries

  • McDonald's Big Mac is higher in Iron, Vitamin B2, Zinc, and Calcium, yet McDonald's french fries are higher in Potassium, Fiber, and Vitamin C.
  • McDonald's Big Mac covers your daily Iron needs 15% more than McDonald's french fries.
  • McDonald's Big Mac contains 6 times more Calcium than McDonald's french fries. While McDonald's Big Mac contains 116mg of Calcium, McDonald's french fries contain only 19mg.
  • The amount of Sodium in McDonald's french fries are lower.

Food varieties used in this article are McDONALD'S, BIG MAC and McDONALD'S, french fries.

Infographic

McDonald's Big Mac vs McDonald's french fries 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%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 26% 5.7% 53% 30% 38% 14% 54% 25% 32% 2.2%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +510.5%
Contains more IronIron +150%
Contains more ZincZinc +274.5%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +85%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +229.3%
Contains more CopperCopper +16.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium -58.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +20.9%
~equal in Phosphorus ~127mg

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% 11% 0% 0% 44% 48% 63% 0% 0% 110% 0% 35% 0%
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 19% 0% 28% 0% 45% 8.5% 60% 35% 88% 0% 40% 0% 22%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +464.9%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +1300%
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B1 ~0.18mg
~equal in Vitamin B3 ~3.22mg

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
3% 15% 43% 37% 2%
Protein: 3.41 g
Fats: 15.47 g
Carbs: 42.58 g
Water: 36.63 g
Other: 1.91 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +246.6%
Contains more WaterWater +40%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +112.1%
~equal in Fats ~15.47g
~equal in Other ~1.91g

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
16% 51% 33%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 2.271 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 7.379 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 4.727 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -40.3%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +112.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1444.8%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
12% 26% 42% 8% 12%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0.46 g
Glucose: 1.04 g
Fructose: 1.69 g
Lactose: 0.32 g
Maltose: 0.49 g
Galactose: 0 g
99%
Starch: 38.23 g
Sucrose: 0.21 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more SucroseSucrose +119%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more LactoseLactose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
Contains more StarchStarch +∞%
~equal in Galactose ~0g

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 McDonald's french fries
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in price Equal
Rich in minerals Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient McDonald's Big Mac McDonald's french fries Opinion
Calories 257kcal 323kcal McDonald's french fries
Protein 11.82g 3.41g McDonald's Big Mac
Fats 14.96g 15.47g McDonald's french fries
Vitamin C 0.4mg 5.6mg McDonald's french fries
Net carbs 18.48g 38.68g McDonald's french fries
Carbs 20.08g 42.58g McDonald's french fries
Cholesterol 36mg McDonald's french fries
Magnesium 20mg 37mg McDonald's french fries
Calcium 116mg 19mg McDonald's Big Mac
Potassium 181mg 596mg McDonald's french fries
Iron 2mg 0.8mg McDonald's Big Mac
Sugar 3.97g 0.21g McDonald's french fries
Fiber 1.6g 3.9g McDonald's french fries
Copper 0.098mg 0.114mg McDonald's french fries
Zinc 1.91mg 0.51mg McDonald's Big Mac
Starch 38.23g McDonald's french fries
Phosphorus 122mg 127mg McDonald's french fries
Sodium 460mg 189mg McDonald's french fries
Vitamin A 188IU 0IU McDonald's Big Mac
Vitamin E 1.38mg McDonald's french fries
Manganese 0.206mg 0.249mg McDonald's french fries
Selenium 0.4µg McDonald's french fries
Vitamin B1 0.176mg 0.18mg McDonald's french fries
Vitamin B2 0.209mg 0.037mg McDonald's Big Mac
Vitamin B3 3.384mg 3.22mg McDonald's Big Mac
Vitamin B5 0.59mg McDonald's french fries
Vitamin B6 0.38mg McDonald's french fries
Vitamin B12 0.88µg McDonald's Big Mac
Vitamin K 16µg McDonald's french fries
Folate 46µg McDonald's Big Mac
Trans Fat 0.588g 0.064g McDonald's french fries
Choline 39.8mg McDonald's french fries
Saturated Fat 3.803g 2.271g McDonald's french fries
Monounsaturated Fat 3.474g 7.379g McDonald's french fries
Polyunsaturated fat 0.306g 4.727g McDonald's french fries
Fructose 1.69g 0g McDonald's Big Mac
Omega-3 - ALA 0.382g McDonald's french fries
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.031g McDonald's french fries
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.009g McDonald's french fries
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 4.251g McDonald's french fries

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
McDonald's Big Mac McDonald's french fries
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
24%
McDonald's Big Mac
27%
McDonald's french fries
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
36%
McDonald's Big Mac
28%
McDonald's french fries

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 36mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.76g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries contains less Sodium (difference - 271mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 1.532g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in glycemic index (difference - 4)
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. McDonald's Big Mac - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170720/nutrients
  2. McDonald's french fries - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170721/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.