When McDonalds came out with a new line of salads, many people interpreted this as a sign that they would finally be able to eat healthy at McDonalds. Touting the new healthy lifestyle they were promoting on all thier adds, McDonalds began to look like a healthy food choice after all. After all, what could possibly more healthy than a nice, colorful salad? However, according to a recent review of McDonalds salads, the healthiness of these veggie-based meals is now in question. A health review of the six new McDonalds salads gave them all ratings of one star on a one to five star scale.
The issues with McDonald’s salads lies in the high fat Newman’s ranch dressing that comes with most of them. At 170 calories and 15 grams of fat (38 percent of the recommended daily fat intake), the dressing counteracts many of the health benefits of the salads. Add that to the fatty chicken with almost as much cholesterol as beef, croutons, and cheese and a McDonalds salad can actually end up having more fat and calories than a traditional cheeseburger or sandwich entrée. “We did not expect these new salad entrées to be so loaded with fat and cholesterol,” saied Brie McGrievy, R.D., one of the clinical research coordinators at PCRM.
For instance, the new MeDonalds Cobb Salad by itself is made up of mostly veggies and chicken. It has a total of 260 calories and nine grams of fat. With dressing and croutons thats 490 calories and 24 grams. In terms of fat, that’s the same as eating two cheeseburgers and then another quarter pounder with cheese. Yikes! A small order of fries actually contains 2 grams of fat less than just a small pouch of the ranch dressing alone. Another example- the premium bacon ranch salad at McDonalds (700 calories with extras and 51 grams of fat) has the dubious distinction of being THE restaurant salad with the most fat and calories. Since people are only recommended to eat under 40 grams of fat a day, one salad at McDonalds could easily have more fat than you should eat in an entire day!
Several of the salads at McDonalds received a one star rating for having the minimum amount of fiber possible in a salad- three grams. The space taken up by the fatty meat, dressing, and croutons minimizes the actual amount of vegetables in the salads. Also, most of the salads are based on fiber low iceberg lettuce which is not known for its high nutrient value. Averaging about 1500 mg of sodium (salad dressing included), most of the salad choices at McDonalds have a day’s worth of this as well.
Whether you chose to eat a McDonalds salad or not after reading this, it’s important to know the true nutritional value of what you are eating so that you don’t sabotage a temporary or long term resolution to make healthy choices. Studies have shown that when people eat just a salad as a meal, no matter the actual calorie content, they often compensate by eating more later on, thinking that they were eating just vegetables. So beware. Since the dressing pouches at McDonalds contain two ounces of dressing and a typical serving is one ounce, you can reign in the fat and sodium of your order by adding only half a pouch of dressing. Even if you don’t feel the need, at least you are now informed of the true health value of McDonalds salads.
