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

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

Compare

Important differences between sugar and mcDonald's Big Mac

  • Sugar has less vitamin B12, iron, vitamin B3, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2.
  • McDonald's Big Mac's daily need coverage for vitamin B12 is 37% more.
  • Sugar is lower in sodium.

The food varieties used in the comparison are Sugars, granulated and McDONALD'S, BIG MAC.

Infographic

Sugar 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.
Sugar
2
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 0% 0.3% 0.18% 1.9% 2.3% 0.27% 0% 0.13% 0.52% 3.3%
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 -99.8%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +∞%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +11500%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +8950%
Contains more IronIron +3900%
Contains more CopperCopper +1300%
Contains more ZincZinc +19000%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +∞%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +5050%

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.
Sugar
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 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 4.4% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 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 1.3% 0% 0% 0% 44% 48% 63% 0% 0% 110% 0% 35% 0%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +1000%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
~equal in Vitamin A ~µg
~equal in Vitamin E ~mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~µg
~equal in Vitamin B5 ~mg
~equal in Vitamin B6 ~mg
~equal in Vitamin K ~µg
~equal in Choline ~mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Sugar
1
100%
Protein: 0 g
Fats: 0 g
Carbs: 99.98 g
Water: 0.02 g
Other: 0 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 CarbsCarbs +397.9%
Contains more ProteinProtein +∞%
Contains more FatsFats +∞%
Contains more WaterWater +256400%
Contains more OtherOther +∞%

Carbohydrate type comparison

Carbohydrate type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Sugar
1
100%
Starch: 0 g
Sucrose: 99.8 g
Glucose: 0 g
Fructose: 0 g
Lactose: 0 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 SucroseSucrose +21595.7%
Contains more GlucoseGlucose +∞%
Contains more FructoseFructose +∞%
Contains more LactoseLactose +∞%
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.
Sugar 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 Sugar McDonald's Big Mac DV% diff.
Vitamin B12 0µg 0.88µg 37%
Carbs 99.98g 20.08g 27%
Iron 0.05mg 2mg 24%
Protein 0g 11.82g 24%
Fats 0g 14.96g 23%
Vitamin B3 0mg 3.384mg 21%
Sodium 1mg 460mg 20%
Phosphorus 0mg 122mg 17%
Zinc 0.01mg 1.91mg 17%
Saturated fat 0g 3.803g 17%
Vitamin B1 0mg 0.176mg 15%
Vitamin B2 0.019mg 0.209mg 15%
Calcium 1mg 116mg 12%
Folate 0µg 46µg 12%
Cholesterol 0mg 36mg 12%
Copper 0.007mg 0.098mg 10%
Monounsaturated fat 0g 3.474g 9%
Manganese 0.004mg 0.206mg 9%
Calories 387kcal 257kcal 7%
Fiber 0g 1.6g 6%
Potassium 2mg 181mg 5%
Magnesium 0mg 20mg 5%
Polyunsaturated fat 0g 0.306g 2%
Fructose 0g 1.69g 2%
Selenium 0.6µg 1%
Vitamin C 0mg 0.4mg 0%
Net carbs 99.98g 18.48g N/A
Sugar 99.8g 3.97g N/A
Trans fat 0.588g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Sugar McDonald's Big Mac
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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
0%
Sugar
23%
McDonald's Big Mac
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
1%
Sugar
36%
McDonald's Big Mac

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Sugar
Sugar is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 36mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Sugar
Sugar contains less Sodium (difference - 459mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Sugar
Sugar is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 3.803g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Sugar
Sugar is lower in glycemic index (difference - 1)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is lower in Sugar (difference - 95.83g)
Which food is cheaper?
McDonald's Big Mac
McDonald's Big Mac is cheaper (difference - $0.1)
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. Sugar - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169655/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.