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

McDonald's cheeseburger vs. Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

How are mcDonald's cheeseburgers and wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets different?

  • McDonald's cheeseburgers are higher in vitamin B12, iron, calcium, vitamin B1, zinc, and vitamin B2; however, wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets are richer in phosphorus, vitamin B3, and polyunsaturated fat.
  • Daily need coverage for vitamin B12 for mcDonald's cheeseburgers is 22% higher.
  • McDonald's cheeseburgers contain 15 times more calcium than wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets. While mcDonald's cheeseburgers contain 167mg of calcium, wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets contain only 11mg.

McDONALD'S, Cheeseburger and WENDY'S, Chicken Nuggets are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

McDonald's cheeseburger vs Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets 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% 50% 18% 88% 32% 52% 60% 82% 30% 0%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 16% 3.3% 22% 23% 20% 17% 116% 92% 25% 136%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +1418.2%
Contains more IronIron +279%
Contains more CopperCopper +59%
Contains more ZincZinc +213.1%
Contains less SodiumSodium -11.6%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +21.1%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +25%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +93.6%
~equal in Magnesium ~22mg

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 2% 0% 0% 0% 56% 60% 75% 0% 0% 108% 0% 44% 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 4.3% 0% 0% 0% 20% 28% 113% 54% 59% 41% 20% 0% 0%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +182.3%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +113.1%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +160.6%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +116.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +50.1%
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin E ~mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Choline ~mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
13% 12% 28% 45% 2%
Protein: 12.97 g
Fats: 11.79 g
Carbs: 27.81 g
Water: 45 g
Other: 2.43 g
16% 23% 14% 44% 3%
Protein: 16.46 g
Fats: 22.55 g
Carbs: 14.31 g
Water: 44.15 g
Other: 2.53 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +94.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +26.9%
Contains more FatsFats +91.3%
~equal in Water ~44.15g
~equal in Other ~2.53g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
53% 43% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 4.435 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 3.631 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.355 g
23% 29% 48%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 4.787 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 6.138 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 10.117 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +69%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +2749.9%
~equal in Saturated fat ~4.787g

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
4% 32% 42% 9% 14%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0.24 g
Glucose: 2.01 g
Fructose: 2.59 g
Lactose: 0.54 g
Maltose: 0.84 g
Galactose: 0 g
100%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.08 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more LactoseLactose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +950%
~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 cheeseburger Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Lower in Glycemic Index Equal
Lower in price Equal
Rich in minerals Equal
Rich in vitamins Equal

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient McDonald's cheeseburger Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets DV% diff.
Polyunsaturated fat 0.355g 10.117g 65%
Selenium 25µg 45%
Vitamin B12 0.86µg 0.33µg 22%
Iron 2.35mg 0.62mg 22%
Vitamin B6 0.254mg 20%
Phosphorus 140mg 271mg 19%
Vitamin B5 0.905mg 18%
Fats 11.79g 22.55g 17%
Calcium 167mg 11mg 16%
Folate 59µg 15%
Vitamin B3 4.026mg 6.042mg 13%
Zinc 1.91mg 0.61mg 12%
Vitamin B1 0.223mg 0.079mg 12%
Vitamin B2 0.26mg 0.122mg 11%
Vitamin K 8µg 7%
Protein 12.97g 16.46g 7%
Monounsaturated fat 3.631g 6.138g 6%
Cholesterol 35mg 50mg 5%
Carbs 27.81g 14.31g 5%
Copper 0.097mg 0.061mg 4%
Fiber 1.1g 4%
Sodium 626mg 708mg 4%
Fructose 2.59g 0g 3%
Calories 263kcal 326kcal 3%
Manganese 0.23mg 0.19mg 2%
Saturated fat 4.435g 4.787g 2%
Potassium 200mg 250mg 1%
Vitamin C 0.6mg 1.3mg 1%
Net carbs 26.71g 14.31g N/A
Magnesium 20mg 22mg 0%
Sugar 6.22g 0.08g N/A
Trans fat 0.647g 0.161g N/A
Omega-3 - EPA 0.002g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0.003g N/A
Omega-3 - ALA 0.765g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0.006g N/A
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid 0.001g N/A
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.044g N/A
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.017g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.017g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 9.042g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
McDonald's cheeseburger Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet Equal

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%
McDonald's cheeseburger
26%
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
43%
McDonald's cheeseburger
47%
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Sugar?
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets is lower in Sugar (difference - 6.14g)
Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
McDonald's cheeseburger
McDonald's cheeseburger is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 15mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
McDonald's cheeseburger
McDonald's cheeseburger contains less Sodium (difference - 82mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
McDonald's cheeseburger
McDonald's cheeseburger is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 0.352g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
?
The foods have equal glycemic indexes ()
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 cheeseburger - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170320/nutrients
  2. Wendy's Spicy Chicken Nuggets - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170725/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.