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

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How are milk and mcDonald's Big Mac 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.
  • Milk has less saturated fat.
  • Milk has a lower glycemic index (31) than mcDonald's Big Mac (66).

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

Infographic

Milk vs McDonald's Big Mac 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.
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%
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%
Contains less SodiumSodium -90.4%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
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%
~equal in Calcium ~116mg

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.
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%
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%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +∞%
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
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
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
Contains more WaterWater +75.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +250.7%
Contains more FatsFats +1442.3%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +302.4%
Contains more OtherOther +145.3%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
50% 46% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 3.803 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 3.474 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.306 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -83.4%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +1154.2%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +774.3%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
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
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
Contains more LactoseLactose +1525%
Contains more SucroseSucrose +∞%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more MaltoseMaltose +∞%
~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.
Milk McDonald's Big Mac
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 Milk McDonald's Big Mac DV% diff.
Iron 0.03mg 2mg 25%
Fats 0.97g 14.96g 22%
Vitamin B3 0.093mg 3.384mg 21%
Sodium 44mg 460mg 18%
Protein 3.37g 11.82g 17%
Vitamin B12 0.47µg 0.88µg 17%
Zinc 0.42mg 1.91mg 14%
Saturated fat 0.633g 3.803g 14%
Vitamin B1 0.02mg 0.176mg 13%
Calories 42kcal 257kcal 11%
Cholesterol 5mg 36mg 10%
Folate 5µg 46µg 10%
Copper 0.01mg 0.098mg 10%
Manganese 0.003mg 0.206mg 9%
Monounsaturated fat 0.277g 3.474g 8%
Vitamin B5 0.361mg 7%
Vitamin A 58µg 6%
Vitamin D 1.2µg 6%
Vitamin D 48IU 6%
Selenium 3.3µg 6%
Fiber 0g 1.6g 6%
Carbs 4.99g 20.08g 5%
Phosphorus 95mg 122mg 4%
Vitamin B6 0.037mg 3%
Choline 17.7mg 3%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.035g 0.306g 2%
Fructose 0g 1.69g 2%
Vitamin B2 0.185mg 0.209mg 2%
Magnesium 11mg 20mg 2%
Potassium 150mg 181mg 1%
Calcium 125mg 116mg 1%
Vitamin C 0mg 0.4mg 0%
Net carbs 4.99g 18.48g N/A
Sugar 5.2g 3.97g 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
Milk McDonald's Big Mac
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
15%
Milk
23%
McDonald's Big Mac
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
14%
Milk
36%
McDonald's Big Mac

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. Milk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170872/nutrients
  2. McDonald's Big Mac - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170720/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.