There are over 40,000 McDonald’s locations worldwide, McDonald’s is easily one of the most accessible and popular fast food joints. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone that hasn’t been to McDonald’s!
Personally, I don’t find myself frequenting McDonald’s because I don’t feel the greatest when I do, however, breezing through the drive-thru is sometimes a necessity. Especially with a busy family that travels most weekends for sporting events.
The good news is that you can navigate the McDonald’s menu, get something to fuel yourself, and still hit your macros, but the key is knowing what to look for. In this article, I’m going to run you through my top macro-friendly McDonald’s meal options and give you some tips and tricks regarding what to look for.
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How to Make Healthy Choices At McDonald’s
Let’s be honest, “healthy” isn’t a term that’s typically attached to a drive-thru meal, but we can still make healthier choices! So let’s discuss what that might look like in reference to McDonald’s.
McDonald’s is famous for its burgers and fries, but considering a Big Mac and a medium fry will net you a whopping 910 calories and only 30g of protein, that’s probably not the route you’ll want to take if you’re tracking macros. Ideally, we want to find some menu options that are more “macro-friendly,” or high in protein and balanced with carbs and fats.
Many McDonald’s menu items are deep fried in oil, which means that are high in saturated fat, so we’ll want to keep these items in moderation. In the next section, I’m going to share a handful of McDonald’s meal ideas that will fit your macros and help you stay on track with your fitness and nutrition goals.
There aren’t a lot of lean protein choices at McDonald’s, so I recommend planning to get your protein in with your other meals and even adding a protein shake or two to your day to get you to your goal.
I also want to point out that McDonald’s has a really handy nutrition calculator that allows you to build your meals and see exactly how many calories and macros they’re worth. If you know you’ll be stopping by McDonald’s, do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to plug in your meal selections so that you can build them to fit your macros!
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Macro-Friendly McDonald’s Tips
A couple of hacks for making your McDonald’s meal more on the macro-balanced side:
- Ask for no cheese on your burger
- Ask for no mayo or butter on your sandwich
- Take off the bun
- Stick with a small french fry serving vs a large or XL
- Drink diet Coke, unsweetened iced tea, or a simple coffee drink
Macro-Friendly McDonald’s Meals
McDonald’s is great in that you can swing by any time of the day and get a meal. Whether it’s time for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they’ve got you covered! Below are my choices for macro-friendly meals at McDonald’s.
Breakfast
Option 1:
- Sausage Burrito
- Hashbrown
- Medium Premium Roast Coffee with Cream
Macros |
|---|
490 calories |
16g protein |
45g carbs |
26.5g fat |
Option 2:
- Egg McMuffin (no cheese, no butter)
- Hashbrown
- Medium McCafe Iced Coffee with Light Cream (no sugar)
Macros |
|---|
450 calories |
19g protein |
51g carbs |
21g fat |
Lunch & Dinner
Option 1:
- McChicken (no mayo, no bun)
- Small French Fry
- Medium Diet Coke
Macros |
|---|
380 calories |
12g protein |
41g carbs |
19g fat |
Option 2:
- McDouble (no cheese)
- Small French Fry
- Small Unsweetened Iced Tea
Macros |
|---|
580 calories |
24g protein |
62g carbs |
27g fat |
Option 3:
- 10 Piece Chicken McNuggets
- Apple Slices
- Medium Diet Coke
Macros |
|---|
425 calories |
23g protein |
30g carbs |
24g fat |
Final Thoughts on Macro-Friendly McDonald’s Options
To be honest, McDonald’s probably shouldn’t be a drive-thru that you frequent if you’re serious about not only staying on track but feeling your best. I am 100% on board with swinging through every once in a while and grabbing some quick food on the go, but making it a habit wouldn’t be in your best interest.
That being said, the beauty of macros is that you can make anything fit! Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of high-protein meals at McDonald’s, but with a little swapping and eliminating, you can absolutely get yourself a decent meal that won’t wreak havoc on your daily limits.
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