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

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Differences between mcDonald's Big Mac and whey

  • Whey contains less vitamin B12, iron, vitamin B3, zinc, vitamin B1, folate, and phosphorus than mcDonald's Big Mac.
  • McDonald's Big Mac's daily need coverage for vitamin B12 is 25% higher.
  • Whey contains 46 times less folate than mcDonald's Big Mac. McDonald's Big Mac contains 46µg of folate, while whey contains 1µg.
  • The amount of cholesterol in whey is lower.
  • Whey has a lower glycemic index. The glycemic index of whey is 43, while the glycemic index of mcDonald's Big Mac is 66.

The food types used in this comparison are McDONALD'S, BIG MAC and Whey, sweet, fluid.

Infographic

McDonald's Big Mac vs Whey 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%
Whey
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 5.7% 14% 14% 2.3% 1.3% 3.5% 20% 7% 0.13% 10%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +150%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +146.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +12.4%
Contains more IronIron +3233.3%
Contains more CopperCopper +2350%
Contains more ZincZinc +1369.2%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +165.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +20500%
Contains less SodiumSodium -88.3%

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%
Whey
4
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 0.33% 1% 0% 0% 9% 36% 1.4% 23% 7.2% 35% 0% 0.75% 8.7%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +300%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +388.9%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +32.3%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +4473%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +214.3%
Contains more FolateFolate +4500%
~equal in Vitamin E ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin K ~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
Whey
1
5% 93%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 0.36 g
Carbs: 5.14 g
Water: 93.12 g
Other: 0.53 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +1290.6%
Contains more FatsFats +4055.6%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +290.7%
Contains more OtherOther +247.2%
Contains more WaterWater +81.5%

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
Whey
1
67% 29% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.23 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.011 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +3374%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +2681.8%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -94%

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 Whey
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 Whey DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0.88µg 0.28µg 25%
Iron 2mg 0.06mg 24%
Protein 11.82g 0.85g 22%
Fats 14.96g 0.36g 22%
Vitamin B3 3.384mg 0.074mg 21%
Sodium 460mg 54mg 18%
Saturated fat 3.803g 0.23g 16%
Zinc 1.91mg 0.13mg 16%
Calories 257kcal 27kcal 12%
Vitamin B1 0.176mg 0.036mg 12%
Phosphorus 122mg 46mg 11%
Cholesterol 36mg 2mg 11%
Folate 46µg 1µg 11%
Copper 0.098mg 0.004mg 10%
Manganese 0.206mg 0.001mg 9%
Monounsaturated fat 3.474g 0.1g 8%
Vitamin B5 0.383mg 8%
Calcium 116mg 47mg 7%
Fiber 1.6g 0g 6%
Carbs 20.08g 5.14g 5%
Vitamin B2 0.209mg 0.158mg 4%
Selenium 1.9µg 3%
Magnesium 20mg 8mg 3%
Choline 16mg 3%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.306g 0.011g 2%
Fructose 1.69g 2%
Vitamin B6 0.031mg 2%
Potassium 181mg 161mg 1%
Vitamin C 0.4mg 0.1mg 0%
Net carbs 18.48g 5.14g N/A
Sugar 3.97g 5.14g N/A
Vitamin A 3µg 0%
Trans fat 0.588g N/A
Tryptophan 0.013mg 0%
Threonine 0.054mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.047mg 0%
Leucine 0.078mg 0%
Lysine 0.068mg 0%
Methionine 0.016mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.027mg 0%
Valine 0.046mg 0%
Histidine 0.016mg 0%

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
McDonald's Big Mac Whey
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
9%
Whey
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
36%
McDonald's Big Mac
8%
Whey

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Whey
Whey is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 34mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Whey
Whey contains less Sodium (difference - 406mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Whey
Whey is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 3.573g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Whey
Whey is lower in glycemic index (difference - 23)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in Sugar (difference - 1.17g)
Which food is cheaper?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is cheaper (difference - $3.6)
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. Whey - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171282/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.