McDonald's French Fries Nutrition Facts: Learn How Unhealthy These Delicious Fries Are
McDonald’s French Fries
McDonald’s French fries nutrition facts are quite intriguing and shocking, to say the least, given the many health hazards that eating the said meal can result to. While the French fries of McDonald’s is one of the fast food firm’s most popular meals, it is also considered as one of the most unhealthy. Health conscious individuals may have to stay away from eating the McDonald’s French fries given its many unhealthy contents.
Calorie Content
A serving size of 117 grams will cost a person about 370 calories, and this is even without putting catsup on it. Of course, the catsup is an indispensable part in eating French fries, so it is estimated that another 100 calories or so is gained when a person eats a small pack of McDonald’s French fries. While this may be reasonable enough for a small meal, this is only the case if the person would eat healthy, nutritious meals along the way.
Fat
A small pack of McDonald’s French fries contains about 13 grams of fat, with at least 2.5 of the amount being saturated fat. It contains about 370 calories, 47% of which is fat-based which is a bad ratio given that the American Heart Association recommends a diet where the fat contains less than 20% of the total calories.
Carbohydrates
The 117 gram serving of French fries from McDonalds has about 45 grams of carbohydrates, with a limited amount of carbohydrates. The said figure constitutes about 20% of a person’s daily requirement for carbs, but for those who are on a low fat diet, then eating French fries from McDonald’s is certainly a no-no. Likewise, potatoes are considered sources of high gylcemic carb meaning it can result to higher levels of insulin which in turn result to gain in weight. Thus those who are cautious of gaining weight should eat McDonald’s French fries in moderation.
Sodium
McDonald’s French fries is also rich in sodium. In a small serving of French fries it is estimated that there is about 266 mg of sodium. The American Heart Association notes that the daily requirement of sodium is about 2,000 mg. While the 266 milligram content of French fries is still far from the said amount, the sodium content will surely go up if a person sprinkles more table salt on a French fries.
Other Health Hazards
There have also been other studies that have documented the bad effects of French fries on one’s health. For one, fast food staples such as French fries are known to be rich in acrylamides, a substance that has been associated with cancer. A large serving of French fries is said to have a high level of acrylamides, testing for about 72 micrograms. The said figure is about thrice the amount gained from drinking a cup of water.
Bottomline
McDonald’s French fries nutrition facts indeed reveal that this fast food staple is not exactly the most nutritious food to eat. Those who are fond of eating this food should seriously consider eating it in moderation.
For more related information, read another Brighthub article on “How Healthy are McDonald’s French Fries”.
Resources
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fast-foods-generic/8054/2
https://healthmad.com/nutrition/are-mcdonalds-french-fries-the-most-unhealthy-fast-food/
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons