A nutrition check found that McDonald's kale salad paired with Asiago Caesar Dressing contains more fat, sodium and calories than a Double Big Mac. Putting that in perspective, the kale salad comes with "nutrient-rich lettuce blend with baby kale," grilled or fried chicken and shaved parmesan cheese. As for the Big Mac, we all know that's a massive burger with four beef patties.
McDonald's own nutrition fact shows that the new salad options have more sodium, fat and calories than a Double Big Mac burger. In particular, the "Keep Calm, Caesar On Entrée Salad Bowl" with the Asiago Caesar Dressing option has 1,400 milligrams of salt, 730 calories and 53 grams of fat. Compare that to the Double Big Mac that has 1,340 milligrams of sodium, 680 calories and 38 grams of fat.
McDonald's other salad option, the "I'm Greek-ing Out Entrée Salad Bowl" is a bit more merciful with only 1,200 milligrams of sodium, 580 calories and 40 grams of fat. This one has feta cheese, pita crisps, crispy chicken, Santorini-inspired couscous (fancy!) and a Greek feta dressing.
"Health-wise, I think it's fat and sodium overload," says Shauna Lindzon, a dietitian registered in Toronto, Canada.
Of course, you can always forego the Asiago Caesar Dressing and the fried chicken option, but seriously, if you're at Mickey D's, why would you get a bunch of leafy greens when you can get the beef?
In a recent study of 364 restaurant meals across three U.S. cities, researchers discovered that 92 percent of restaurants served meals that are beyond the recommended calorie intake for a healthy meal. The meals in the study included a variety of cuisines including American, Japanese, Italian, Thai, Greek and Chinese, to name a few.
Shockingly, in 123 restaurants, the team found that at least one menu item packs more than the recommended daily calorie intake for the whole day, and this amount doesn't even include the drinks, desserts or appetizers that normally accompany one entrée. They also found that Chinese, American and Italian cuisines pack in the most calories with a 1,495-caloric average per meal.
The nutrition check on any McDonald's food item isn't much of a shock, really. However, the introduction of "unhealthy salads" in restaurants seems to do more harm than good to both your health and waistline, fast food or not.
