This fast food giant’s mascot may be a clown, but don’t assume we’re joking around when we say you should absolutely never order this menu item from McDonald’s.
After years of failed turnaround efforts and plummeting sales, McDonald’s finally has its act together: Thanks in part to a refreshed ingredient list that limits preservatives and artificial additives as well as a boiled-down menu that focuses back on the basics, Mickey D fans are certainly putting a smile on again.
Another large part of Ronald’s success can be attributed to McDonald’s all-day breakfast, which, is not only great for people who struggle to wake up before 11 a.m., but also for those who like to indulge in a yogurt parfait for a midday snack.
The one issue with the brinner option? It makes you more likely to crave McDonald’s breakfast, and thus, makes you more likely to order the absolute worst menu item at the fast food chain: the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes. (Luckily, it’s not part of the all-day breakfast option, so you’re limited to ordering it in the A.M.)
[h=3]Not That![/h]McDonald’s Big Breakfast With Hotcakes, Biscuit, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Hotcake Syrup & Butter
1,350 calories, 65 g fat (25 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 2,100 mg sodium, 155 g carbs (6 g fiber, 48 g sugar), 35 g protein
Despite their new-and-improved menu, this meal is a lingering reminder that the Golden Arches is the infamous chain that invented “supersizing.”
Just a single meal wipes out your entire day’s recommended allowance of fat (for a 2,000-calorie diet), a whopping 126 percent of a single day’s worth of saturated fat, and just a hair shy of what you should consume in a day of blood-pressure-raising sodium and blood-sugar-spiking added sugar.
In other words: eating this Big Breakfast is like eating the…
Fat equivalent of: 2.3 pints of Breyer’s Vanilla ice cream
Saturated fat equivalent of: 6 slices of Domino’s cheese pizza
Sodium equivalent of: 10 bags of Rold Gold Twist Pretzels
Sugar equivalent of: 5 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts
Sorry, but we’re not lovin’ it.
If you’re looking for a similar variety of flavors in your breakfast, we recommend sticking with our top ranked healthy breakfast: the Egg McMuffin.
[h=3]Eat This! Instead:[/h]
Egg McMuffin
300 calories, 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 730 mg sodium, 30 g carbs (2 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 17 g protein
Yup, the classic. It’s a staple Eat This, Not That! has approved for years—and we love it even more now that each morning meal is made with real butter (instead of trans fat-laden margarine) and freshly cracked eggs. We even recommend it over the Egg White Delight because “the whole egg sandwich includes the yolk, which contains carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals,” says Chicago-based dietician Christine M. Palumbo, MBA, RDN, FAND.
After years of failed turnaround efforts and plummeting sales, McDonald’s finally has its act together: Thanks in part to a refreshed ingredient list that limits preservatives and artificial additives as well as a boiled-down menu that focuses back on the basics, Mickey D fans are certainly putting a smile on again.
Another large part of Ronald’s success can be attributed to McDonald’s all-day breakfast, which, is not only great for people who struggle to wake up before 11 a.m., but also for those who like to indulge in a yogurt parfait for a midday snack.
The one issue with the brinner option? It makes you more likely to crave McDonald’s breakfast, and thus, makes you more likely to order the absolute worst menu item at the fast food chain: the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes. (Luckily, it’s not part of the all-day breakfast option, so you’re limited to ordering it in the A.M.)
[h=3]Not That![/h]McDonald’s Big Breakfast With Hotcakes, Biscuit, Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Hotcake Syrup & Butter
1,350 calories, 65 g fat (25 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 2,100 mg sodium, 155 g carbs (6 g fiber, 48 g sugar), 35 g protein
Despite their new-and-improved menu, this meal is a lingering reminder that the Golden Arches is the infamous chain that invented “supersizing.”
Just a single meal wipes out your entire day’s recommended allowance of fat (for a 2,000-calorie diet), a whopping 126 percent of a single day’s worth of saturated fat, and just a hair shy of what you should consume in a day of blood-pressure-raising sodium and blood-sugar-spiking added sugar.
In other words: eating this Big Breakfast is like eating the…
Fat equivalent of: 2.3 pints of Breyer’s Vanilla ice cream
Saturated fat equivalent of: 6 slices of Domino’s cheese pizza
Sodium equivalent of: 10 bags of Rold Gold Twist Pretzels
Sugar equivalent of: 5 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donuts
Sorry, but we’re not lovin’ it.
If you’re looking for a similar variety of flavors in your breakfast, we recommend sticking with our top ranked healthy breakfast: the Egg McMuffin.
[h=3]Eat This! Instead:[/h]
Egg McMuffin
300 calories, 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 730 mg sodium, 30 g carbs (2 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 17 g protein
Yup, the classic. It’s a staple Eat This, Not That! has approved for years—and we love it even more now that each morning meal is made with real butter (instead of trans fat-laden margarine) and freshly cracked eggs. We even recommend it over the Egg White Delight because “the whole egg sandwich includes the yolk, which contains carotenoids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals,” says Chicago-based dietician Christine M. Palumbo, MBA, RDN, FAND.
