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McDonald's french fries vs. Fast food — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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A recap on the differences between mcDonald's french fries and fast food

  • McDonald's french fries are higher in vitamin B6, potassium, and vitamin K, yet fast food is higher in selenium, iron, vitamin B2, zinc, vitamin B3, and vitamin B1.
  • Fast food covers your daily selenium needs 36% more than mcDonald's french fries.
  • McDonald's french fries contain 3 times more vitamin K than fast food. While mcDonald's french fries contain 16µg of vitamin K, fast food contains only 4.9µg.
  • The amount of saturated fat in mcDonald's french fries is lower.

Food varieties used in this article are McDONALD'S, french fries and Fast foods, hamburger; single, regular patty; plain.

Infographic

McDonald's french fries vs Fast food infographic
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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 26% 5.7% 53% 30% 38% 14% 54% 25% 32% 2.2%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 19% 19% 17% 115% 40% 69% 57% 43% 47% 111%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +37%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +202.5%
Contains less SodiumSodium -42.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +226.3%
Contains more IronIron +282.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +394.1%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +43.4%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +4975%
~equal in Copper ~0.121mg
~equal in Phosphorus ~134mg

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 19% 0% 28% 0% 45% 8.5% 60% 35% 88% 0% 40% 0% 22%
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% 3% 7.6% 1.5% 79% 84% 105% 32% 49% 111% 12% 60% 19%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +263.2%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +11.3%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +79.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +226.5%
Contains more CholineCholine +15.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +76.1%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +881.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +74.4%

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient McDonald's french fries Fast food DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0.89µg 37%
Selenium 0.4µg 20.3µg 36%
Iron 0.8mg 3.06mg 28%
Protein 3.41g 16.52g 26%
Vitamin B2 0.037mg 0.363mg 25%
Polyunsaturated fat 4.727g 1.68g 20%
Folate 80µg 20%
Zinc 0.51mg 2.52mg 18%
Vitamin B3 3.22mg 5.617mg 15%
Vitamin B6 0.38mg 0.212mg 13%
Potassium 596mg 197mg 12%
Vitamin B1 0.18mg 0.317mg 11%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Saturated fat 2.271g 4.493g 10%
Fiber 3.9g 1.7g 9%
Vitamin K 16µg 4.9µg 9%
Vitamin E 1.38mg 0.38mg 7%
Monounsaturated fat 7.379g 4.835g 6%
Starch 38.23g 22.87g 6%
Sodium 189mg 331mg 6%
Vitamin C 5.6mg 0mg 6%
Manganese 0.249mg 0.357mg 5%
Fats 15.47g 12.01g 5%
Calcium 19mg 62mg 4%
Carbs 42.58g 31.5g 4%
Fructose 0g 2.27g 3%
Magnesium 37mg 27mg 2%
Choline 39.8mg 34.4mg 1%
Calories 323kcal 297kcal 1%
Vitamin B5 0.59mg 0.53mg 1%
Vitamin D 0.1µg 1%
Phosphorus 127mg 134mg 1%
Copper 0.114mg 0.121mg 1%
Vitamin A 0µg 9µg 1%
Net carbs 38.68g 29.8g N/A
Vitamin D 2IU 0%
Sugar 0.21g 4.88g N/A
Trans fat 0.064g 0.514g N/A
Tryptophan 0.144mg 0%
Threonine 0.46mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.642mg 0%
Leucine 1.13mg 0%
Lysine 0.785mg 0%
Methionine 0.306mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.67mg 0%
Valine 0.728mg 0%
Histidine 0.402mg 0%
Omega-3 - EPA 0g 0.005g N/A
Omega-3 - DHA 0g 0.001g N/A
Omega-3 - ALA 0.382g 0.121g N/A
Omega-3 - DPA 0g 0.009g N/A
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.031g 0.004g N/A
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0g 0.009g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.009g 0.003g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 4.251g 1.391g N/A

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
17% 12% 32% 38%
Protein: 16.52 g
Fats: 12.01 g
Carbs: 31.5 g
Water: 38.45 g
Other: 1.52 g
Contains more FatsFats +28.8%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +35.2%
Contains more OtherOther +25.7%
Contains more ProteinProtein +384.5%
~equal in Water ~38.45g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
16% 51% 33%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 2.271 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 7.379 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 4.727 g
41% 44% 15%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 4.493 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 4.835 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.68 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -49.5%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +52.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +181.4%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
99%
Starch: 38.23 g
Sucrose: 0.21 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0 g
Galactose: 0 g
82% 7% 8% 2%
Starch: 22.87 g
Sucrose: 0 g
Glucose: 2.05 g
Fructose: 2.27 g
Lactose: 0 g
Maltose: 0.57 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more StarchStarch +67.2%
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
~equal in Lactose ~0g
~equal in Galactose ~0g

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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 french fries - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170721/nutrients
  2. Fast food - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170693/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.