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There are more than 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, so there’s a high chance you’ve eaten at one at some point in your life. Many of you have probably tasted the Big Mac, one of the chain’s best-known and most popular menu items.
Even though they are tasty, you’re probably aware of how high Big Mac calories can get, so it’s not the healthiest eating option. A new infographic has been developed that shows precisely what happens to our bodies after an hour of eating this world-famous sandwich.
The average Big Mac calories is at around 540 calories with 25 grams of fat. When taken on its own, this sandwich provides more than 25% of an adult’s daily calorie requirement and more than 40% of the daily recommended fat intake, despite being often drunk with fries and cola.
Furthermore, the sandwich contains 940 milligrams of salt, most of the daily salt intake of 1,500 mg recommended by the American Heart Association.
Around fifty million individuals in the United States visit fast food restaurants every day, and more than a quarter of them do so at least monthly. Even though most of us know that eating just one of these sandwiches is unlikely to be good for our health, the nutritional content of food is sometimes neglected in favor of pleasure and convenience.
Would you still choose to eat these meals if you knew what caused your health after eating them?
It’s OK to treat yourself to eating a lot of Big Mac calories. However, one Big Mac Meal has a lot of calories. How many calories in a big mac? Get to know your Big Mac Calories better and understand Big Mac nutrition facts along the way.
Big Mac Nutrition Facts
Big Mac Calories Take 3 Days to Digest
According to the infographic, owing to the high-calorie content of the meal, your blood sugar levels will begin to climb to harmful levels within 10 minutes after eating a Big Mac. However, although blood sugar levels will surely increase, they would unlikely reach harmful levels.
The sandwich, like other forms of “junk food,” causes the release of chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, which activates the reward system in the brain and produces a sense of pleasure. According to the infographic, the effects are comparable to cocaine.
According to the infographic, after 20 minutes, addictive ingredients such as high-fructose syrup (which is abundant in the Big Mac bun) and salt will kick in, making us need more.
After another 10 minutes, the body begins to feel the effects of the Big Mac’s high salt content, which causes dehydration. The infographic warns against overeating at this time since dehydration has similar emotions to hunger.
This infographic explains how eating lots of Big Mac calories affects a person’s body in the first hour after eating one.
If eating a Big Mac Calories often leaves you feeling hungry, it might be due to an inability to control blood sugar.
According to the infographic, “the first time you eat a high-calorie meal, your insulin response may lower your glucose levels, encouraging you to want to consume more.” “The high-fructose corn syrup in the Big Mac bun is quickly absorbed by the GI [gastro-intestinal] tract,” causing insulin surges and even more incredible sensations of hunger.
The claim that it may take more than three days to digest Big Mac calories because of its high-fat content is possibly the most troubling assertion made by the infographic about the effect of Big Mac calories in the body. Food digestion takes the body between 24 and 72 hours on average.
On the other hand, Tew believes that the three-day time period for digesting Big Mac calories is likely an exaggeration, despite the fact that fatty meals take longer to absorb than other foods.
Nutritionists and health experts have questioned the accuracy of this infographic, but there is one aspect on which all agree: your caloric intake shouldn’t be mostly made up of Big Mac calories.
The infographic’s last comment states, “if you want to enjoy the Big Mac, preserve it as a rare pleasure.” It is exceedingly risky for your body to consume the ingredients in the burger regularly since they are known to create significant health issues.
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How Many Calories in a Big Mac Burger?
Because it has two patties rather than one, it’s reasonable to assume that the amount of Big Mac calories or nutrition you get per serving isn’t small. .
Each burger has 940 mg of salt, 46 g of carbohydrates, 25 g of protein, and 540 calories. Only eating the sandwich may provide more than a quarter of your daily calorie demands (assuming you consume 2,000 calories per day) [1].
Although Big Mac calories aren’t exactly synonymous to anything “small,” it’s also not McDonald’s calorie king. According to McDonald’s, the identical Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Burger has 620 calories and 29 grams of fat, while the double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 780 calories and 45 grams.
Big Mac Nutrition Facts: How Many Calories Are in a Big Mac Meal With Fries and a Drink?
How many calories in a big mac meal? If you add fries and a drink to your meal, you may ingest the equivalent of a full day’s worth of calories in one sitting. Eating Big Mac calories alone may not be too bad for your calorie consumption.
According to USDA, the recommended daily caloric intake for women is between 1,600 and 2,400 calories, while the recommended daily caloric intake for men ranges between 2,000 and 3,000 calories [1].
The number of calories in a serving of McDonald’s French fries may range from 230 to 510, depending on the size of your order: small, medium, or large. This includes three to seven grams of protein, eleven to twenty-four grams of fat, twenty-nine to sixty-seven grams of carbs, and 165 milligrams of salt.
Milkshakes, sodas, and sweet tea are just a handful of the drinks available at McDonald’s and most other fast food establishments.
Depending on the quantity and kind of beverage, the calories and sugar content of soda and tea may vary from 90 calories and 21 g of sugar for a small cup of hot tea, to 150 calories and 39 g of sugar for a small cup of cola, and to 530 calories and 74 g of sugar for a small cup of chocolate milkshake.
Understanding Big Mac Nutrition Facts in a 2000-Calorie Diet
If we’re to average it, a typical big mac nutrition facts would be about 1,100 calories, 44 grams of fat, 149 grams of carbs, 1,225 milligrams of sodium, and 29 grams of protein. It consists of a Big Mac burger, a medium order of fries, and a medium soft drink. This one dish may satisfy a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet and still leave enough for dessert!
Trimming Big Mac Calories
A USDA study released in 2015 states that frequent fast food consumption is connected with weight gain and obesity. Even though indulging in fast food now and then won’t cause you to gain excessive weight, it’s still important to limit these meals and focus more on eating complete, nutritional dishes. [2]
When ordering a Big Mac, you may minimize the Big Mac calories by following a few easy steps. Go from regular soda to diet soda. You may substitute a side salad for the fries, which can be served with a low-fat balsamic vinaigrette.
Big Mac Calories: Healthier Options at McDonald’s
When you find yourself in a fast food drive-thru the next time, some alternatives are both healthier and lower in calories, even if it is suggested that you avoid fast food as much as possible.
Try out other options and not just fill yourself with Big Mac calories. Order a regular hamburger (250 calories) with a side salad (15 calories). Instead of soda, use potable water or unsweetened iced tea (0 calories).
If you don’t want a burger, try the Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salads (330 calories) or simply the Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad (360 calories) (350 calories). In terms of dressing, use a low-fat Italian dressing or a low-fat balsamic vinaigrette.
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Reference
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2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines/previous-dietary-guidelines/2015.
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S, McGuire. “Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Washington, DC: US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, 2015.” Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26773024/.
Robert is a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the health niche and its ever-expanding sub-niches. As a food and nutrition scientist, he knows where to find the resources necessary to verify health claims.
Daniel Boyer is a practicing Doctor of medicine with a passion for medical research. He specializes in molecular biology, histology, and pharmacology.
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