No one goes to McDonald’s expecting to eat a super healthy meal. But what are the best options to choose – if you find yourself heading towards the big M, and don’t want to blow your healthy streak?
This is exactly the conundrum explored by registered dietitian Kelsey Kunik in a recent blog post, in which she explained what she eats when visiting the fast food favorite with her children.
‘My two kids are Happy Meal fanatics, and I occasionally give in to their (constant) requests to eat there, ‘ she wrote.
There are ‘a few options on the menu’ that she feels good about eating ‘from a nutritional standpoint’.
Registered dietitian Kelsey Kunik has revealed the three items she would pick on a McDonald’s menu that keep her on a healthy track
While she doesn’t recommend eating McDonald’s every day, fast food fans will be glad to hear she thinks it can be part of a healthy diet.
First on Kunik’s list is an Egg Mcmuffin, which contains 310 calories, 6g of saturated fat and barely any sugar, while packing in 17g of protein (about a third of that in a chicken breast).
‘This is similar to a breakfast I would make at home,’ she writes. ‘With just an English muffin, egg, cheese, and slice of Canadian bacon. It’s relatively low in sodium, has 17 grams of filling protein, and even offers three grams of fiber.
‘By choosing the Canadian bacon over sausage, I’m saving four grams of saturated fat and a lot of greasiness.’
For lunch or dinner, Kunik says she opts for a McCrispy Chicken Sandwich. It contains 470 calories – roughly the equivalent of chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables – and packs 26g of filling protein. It is low in fat, but does contain two teaspoons of sugar.
A dietitian has revealed the healthiest options on a McDonald’s menu, which includes Egg McMuffin and McCrispy Chicken Sandwich
Another downside is the high sodium content, which could be problematic for blood pressure. ‘I don’t love that this is the one sandwich that has 50 percent of the recommended sodium limit,’ she writes.
However: ‘Nutritionally, it has enough protein and calories to keep me full for several hours and has just 5 grams or 27 percent of the daily recommended intake of saturated fat, which is pretty impressive for a fried sandwich.
‘If someone wants to limit their sodium intake, I would recommend eating this order sparingly and being extra aware of the sodium in other meals throughout the day.’
And if you fancy a sweet treat, go for a plain vanilla cone, Kunik advises.
While there’s a lot of sugar (twice that of a Krispy Kreme donut), one cone offers just 200 calories and five grams of fat.
‘It’s just enough to satisfy a sweet craving without adding unnecessary calories, added sugars, or saturated fat,’ says Kunik.
