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

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How are mcDonald's french fries and hamburgers different?

  • McDonald's french fries are richer in vitamin B6, fiber, and potassium, while hamburgers are higher in iron, zinc, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, and calcium.
  • Hamburgers cover your daily need for iron, 26% more than mcDonald's french fries.
  • McDonald's french fries contain 4 times more fiber than hamburgers. McDonald's french fries contain 3.9g of fiber, while hamburgers contain 0.9g.
  • McDonald's french fries are lower in sodium.

McDONALD'S, french fries and Fast foods, hamburger; double, regular, patty; plain types were used in this article.

Infographic

McDonald's french fries vs Hamburger 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 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 14% 31% 20% 108% 30% 78% 58% 54% 28% 0%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +85%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +163.7%
Contains more CopperCopper +25.3%
Contains less SodiumSodium -54.3%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +14.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +436.8%
Contains more IronIron +260%
Contains more ZincZinc +462.7%
~equal in Phosphorus ~136mg

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% 0% 0% 0% 54% 58% 101% 19% 47% 180% 0% 42% 0%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +90.3%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +87.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +20.6%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +575.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +66.6%
~equal in Vitamin A ~0µg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg

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% 14% 24% 43% 2%
Protein: 17.08 g
Fats: 14.36 g
Carbs: 24.1 g
Water: 42.67 g
Other: 1.79 g
Contains more CarbsCarbs +76.7%
Contains more ProteinProtein +400.9%
Contains more WaterWater +16.5%
~equal in Fats ~14.36g
~equal in Other ~1.79g

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
46% 50% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 5.096 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 5.495 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.38 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -55.4%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +34.3%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +1143.9%

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
5% 28% 49% 3% 14%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 0.22 g
Glucose: 1.16 g
Fructose: 2.03 g
Lactose: 0.13 g
Maltose: 0.6 g
Galactose: 0 g
Contains more StarchStarch +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more LactoseLactose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
~equal in Sucrose ~0.22g
~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 french fries Hamburger
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 french fries Hamburger DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 1.44µg 60%
Polyunsaturated fat 4.727g 0.38g 29%
Protein 3.41g 17.08g 27%
Iron 0.8mg 2.88mg 26%
Zinc 0.51mg 2.87mg 21%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Vitamin B2 0.037mg 0.25mg 16%
Starch 38.23g 16%
Folate 56µg 14%
Vitamin B6 0.38mg 0.203mg 14%
Vitamin B3 3.22mg 5.365mg 13%
Saturated fat 2.271g 5.096g 13%
Vitamin K 16µg 13%
Fiber 3.9g 0.9g 12%
Potassium 596mg 226mg 11%
Sodium 189mg 414mg 10%
Vitamin E 1.38mg 9%
Calcium 19mg 102mg 8%
Choline 39.8mg 7%
Carbs 42.58g 24.1g 6%
Vitamin C 5.6mg 0mg 6%
Vitamin B5 0.59mg 0.31mg 6%
Monounsaturated fat 7.379g 5.495g 5%
Magnesium 37mg 20mg 4%
Copper 0.114mg 0.091mg 3%
Vitamin B1 0.18mg 0.217mg 3%
Fructose 0g 2.03g 3%
Fats 15.47g 14.36g 2%
Calories 323kcal 295kcal 1%
Manganese 0.249mg 0.217mg 1%
Phosphorus 127mg 136mg 1%
Selenium 0.4µg 1%
Net carbs 38.68g 23.2g N/A
Sugar 0.21g 4.15g N/A
Trans fat 0.064g 0.814g N/A
Tryptophan 0.206mg 0%
Threonine 0.666mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.716mg 0%
Leucine 1.319mg 0%
Lysine 1.226mg 0%
Methionine 0.37mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.677mg 0%
Valine 0.823mg 0%
Histidine 0.505mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 0.382g N/A
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.031g N/A
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.009g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 4.251g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
McDonald's french fries Hamburger
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
27%
McDonald's french fries
38%
Hamburger
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
28%
McDonald's french fries
42%
Hamburger

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 47mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Sugar (difference - 3.94g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries contains less Sodium (difference - 225mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
McDonald's french fries
McDonald's french fries is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 2.825g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Hamburger
Hamburger 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 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.