A Big Mac Is Healthier Than These 5 Salads
by Angela Nazworth | August 10, 2012 3:06 pm
McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD[1]) Big Mac is not health food.
According to Calorie Count[2], the fast-food staple racks up about 576 calories, 292 of which come from fat. And that’s the version of the burger sans cheese[3].
Big Mac’s reputation as a heart attack in a box may be warranted, but at least McDonald’s doesn’t pretend that its sandwich is healthy.
Salads are a different story. Many people look at a big bed of leafy greens and think “low-calories.” However, many salads on fast-food menus are actually worse for you than a Big Mac.
Business Insider recently interviewed dietitian Nicolette M. Pace to find out which salads are actually bad news.
Here’s a look at five salads that have more calories than “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – all on a sesame seed bun.”
- Crispy Chicken Caesar[4]: This popular salad can be found at a variety of restaurant chains and usually contains anywhere from 900 to 1,000 calories, depending on its size.
- “Asian” Grilled Chicken Salad[5]: This salad can have a whopping 1,200 calories and 2,000 grams of sodium. Yikes!
- Chef’s Salad:[6] It’s a no brainer that a salad with cold-cuts isn’t low on calories, especially if creamy dressing is added. A typical chef’s salad is packed with about 900 calories.
- Cobb Salad:[7] Cobb salads are low on greens and high on eggs, bacon and blue cheese. A typical Cobb salad has about 1,300 calories.
- Steak Salad:[8] A steak salad is actually a better bet than a crispy chicken salad. It can even be a healthy choice if the right meat is added. But if the wrong add-ons top this salad (lots of cheese, creamy dressing, croutons, etc.), you’re looking at about 800 calories, 1,200 mg of sodium and 16 g of fat.
Visit Business Insider[9] to learn more about these salads and to find out which other seven salads made the naughty list.
Endnotes:
- MCD: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=MCD
- Calorie Count: http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-big-mac-i21111
- cheese: http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-big-mac-cheeseburger-i21100
- Crispy Chicken Caesar: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#a-crispy-chicken-caesar-salad-has-between-900-and-1000-calories-1
- “Asian” Grilled Chicken Salad: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#asian-grilled-chicken-salads-can-have-as-many-as-1200-calories-3
- Chef’s Salad:: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#a-chefs-salad-can-have-900-calories-7
- Cobb Salad:: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#cobb-salads-can-be-1300-calories-9
- Steak Salad:: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#a-steak-salad-can-have-800-calories-10
- Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthy-fast-food-salads-2012-8#a-steak-salad-can-have-800-calories-10
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/08/a-big-mac-is-healthier-than-these-5-salads/