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

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How are mcDonald's Big Mac and milk different?

  • McDonald's Big Mac has more iron, vitamin B3, vitamin B12, zinc, vitamin B1, folate, and copper than milk.
  • Daily need coverage for iron for mcDonald's Big Mac is 25% higher.
  • McDonald's Big Mac contains 36 times more vitamin B3 than milk. While mcDonald's Big Mac contains 3.384mg of vitamin B3, milk contains only 0.093mg.
  • Milk has less sodium.
  • Milk has a lower glycemic index (31) than mcDonald's Big Mac (66).

McDONALD'S, BIG MAC and Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

McDonald's Big Mac vs Milk 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%
Milk
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 38% 13% 1.1% 3.3% 11% 41% 5.7% 0.39% 18%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +81.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +20.7%
Contains more IronIron +6566.7%
Contains more CopperCopper +880%
Contains more ZincZinc +354.8%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +28.4%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +6766.7%
Contains less SodiumSodium -90.4%
~equal in Calcium ~125mg

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%
Milk
7
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% 19% 0.2% 18% 5% 43% 1.7% 22% 8.5% 59% 0.25% 3.8% 9.7%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +780%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +13%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +3538.7%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +87.2%
Contains more FolateFolate +820%

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
Milk
1
3% 5% 90%
Protein: 3.37 g
Fats: 0.97 g
Carbs: 4.99 g
Water: 89.92 g
Other: 0.75 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +250.7%
Contains more FatsFats +1442.3%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +302.4%
Contains more OtherOther +145.3%
Contains more WaterWater +75.3%

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
Milk
1
67% 29% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.633 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.277 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.035 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +1154.2%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +774.3%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -83.4%

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
Milk
1
100%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 5.2 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
Contains more LactoseLactose +1525%
~equal in Starch ~0g
~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 Milk
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in price ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient McDonald's Big Mac Milk DV% diff.
Iron 2mg 0.03mg 25%
Fats 14.96g 0.97g 22%
Vitamin B3 3.384mg 0.093mg 21%
Sodium 460mg 44mg 18%
Protein 11.82g 3.37g 17%
Vitamin B12 0.88µg 0.47µg 17%
Zinc 1.91mg 0.42mg 14%
Saturated fat 3.803g 0.633g 14%
Vitamin B1 0.176mg 0.02mg 13%
Calories 257kcal 42kcal 11%
Cholesterol 36mg 5mg 10%
Folate 46µg 5µg 10%
Copper 0.098mg 0.01mg 10%
Manganese 0.206mg 0.003mg 9%
Monounsaturated fat 3.474g 0.277g 8%
Vitamin B5 0.361mg 7%
Vitamin A 58µg 6%
Vitamin D 1.2µg 6%
Vitamin D 48IU 6%
Selenium 3.3µg 6%
Fiber 1.6g 0g 6%
Carbs 20.08g 4.99g 5%
Phosphorus 122mg 95mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.037mg 3%
Choline 17.7mg 3%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.306g 0.035g 2%
Fructose 1.69g 0g 2%
Vitamin B2 0.209mg 0.185mg 2%
Magnesium 20mg 11mg 2%
Potassium 181mg 150mg 1%
Calcium 116mg 125mg 1%
Vitamin C 0.4mg 0mg 0%
Net carbs 18.48g 4.99g N/A
Sugar 3.97g 5.2g N/A
Vitamin E 0.01mg 0%
Vitamin K 0.1µg 0%
Trans fat 0.588g N/A
Tryptophan 0.043mg 0%
Threonine 0.143mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.174mg 0%
Leucine 0.319mg 0%
Lysine 0.282mg 0%
Methionine 0.088mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.174mg 0%
Valine 0.22mg 0%
Histidine 0.101mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 0.004g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.027g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
McDonald's Big Mac Milk
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
15%
Milk
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
36%
McDonald's Big Mac
14%
Milk

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Milk
Milk is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 31mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Milk
Milk contains less Sodium (difference - 416mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Milk
Milk is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 3.17g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Milk
Milk is lower in glycemic index (difference - 35)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.23g)
Which food is cheaper?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is cheaper (difference - $0.6)
Which food is richer in minerals?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is relatively richer in minerals
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. Milk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170872/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.