I saw Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Supersize Me and I was as grossed out as anyone at his weight gain and other ill health effects from eating nothing but McDonald’s food for every meal. And who could forget that scene of him trying to eat the supersize quarter pounder meal in his truck, and despite the encouragement of friends, tossed his cookies, so to speak, before he could finish. (His mistake was trying to down a supersize soda without working up to it first, but still.)
But by the end of the movie I felt a little defensive of the fast food restaurant I most frequently visit. It’s not my absolute favorite, but I have three of them conveniently located near the places I most often travel. You can eat at McDonalds and still eat healthy. It’s all in the choices. For goodness sake, don’t eat all your meals there, make good choices when you do, and certainly don’t supersize anything.
McDonald’s has tried very hard to introduce low-fat and low-calorie options to its menu in response to all the criticism, but my favorites for eating healthy are some old standbys.
My regular meal when I have to grab something fast at McDonald’s is this: a hamburger (260 calories), a fruit and yogurt parfait with granola (160 calories) and a diet Coke (0 calories). The hamburger is satisfying and feels like an indulgence, but 260 calories is about the same as one of the Lean Cuisine’s in my freezer at home. The fruit and yogurt parfait with granola is delicious, and with strawberries, blueberries and vanilla yogurt, very healthy. I’m not going to tout any health benefits of diet Coke, because there are none, but I like it and it doesn’t add any calories.
Other good options are a cheeseburger, at 310 calories, or Chicken McNuggets. A four-piece McNuggets will set you back only 170 calories, and the six-piece 250 calories. All of the dipping sauces are either 45 or 50 calories.
When it comes to breakfast, avoid the deluxe calories in the Deluxe Breakfast (1,220!) and opt for an Egg McMuffin with a reasonable 300 calories.
All of McDonald’s salads come in with low calorie counts if you don’t use any dressing, but I don’t find them satisfying enough for a meal. The Fruit and Walnut salad, at 310 calories, is touted as a healthy choice, but it doesn’t do a whole lot for me. For a snack, maybe, but not a meal.
And if you are just craving a treat but don’t want to McFlurry your diet, choose a Reduced Fat Vanilla Ice Cream Cone for 150 calories.