Tips for Wholesome Eating at McDonald’s

McDonald’s is committed to helping its customers – especially children and families – enjoy their dining experience while making wholesome food choices. McDonald’s offers a variety of choices from its menu including delicious Premium Salads, Real Fruit Smoothies, and of course, its World Famous French fries, just to name a few! 

Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, MS has teamed up with McDonald’s® Tri-State area restaurants to provide customers with ways to maintain a balanced diet while enjoying their favorite menu items. Tanya is an accredited member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly known as the American Dietetic Association) and the Greater New York Dietetic Association. She is a member of Nutrition Entrepreneurs, Dietitians in Business and Communications and Weight Management Dietetic Practice Groups. As the best-selling author of The F-Factor Diet, Tanya has appeared on The View, The Today Show, The Early Show, The Rachael Ray Show and in many other local and national media platforms.

“Go For Variety”
McDonald’s offers a wide range of menu options that can be combined to help you meet your daily nutrition needs.

• Breakfast: Egg McMuffin®, Fruit ‘N Yogurt Parfait with Granola and a Premium Roast Black Coffee  (460 calories)
• Lunch: Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich, Apple Slices and Diet Coke (370 calories)
• Dinner: Hamburger, Side Salad with Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette, Kiddie Cone and Bottle of Water (350 calories) 

“Made for You^®”
At McDonald’s, you can customize your meal.  You can always hold the cheese on sandwiches or bypass additional salt on the French fries.  Choose a Side Salad or Apple Slices as a side. Additionally, you can opt for beverages such as bottled water and diet soft drinks. 

“All Foods Fit”
As part of a well-balanced diet, remember all foods fit when eaten in moderation. At McDonald’s, try Apple Slices, a Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, or Vanilla Reduced-Fat Ice Cream Cone!

“Wholesome Choices are Always on the Menu”
No matter what hour of the day, McDonald’s offers wholesome menu options.

Breakfast

Breakfast provides energy for your morning, and may help you make more wholesome choices the rest of the day. McDonald’s offers breakfast so it’s easy to fuel and jump-start your day. 

Options Include:

Lunch
Take time out of your busy day for lunch to re-fuel your body and help tackle your afternoon activities. McDonald’s offers a variety of lunch choices that deliver food groups from the USDA MyPlate.

Options include:

Dinner
McDonald’s is a great place to wind down your day with family and friends over a wholesome dinner. At McDonald’s, find quick, easy and balanced meals everyone can feel good about.

Options Include:

New Happy Meal^®
The McDonald’s Happy Meal has been updated to provide children with balanced options without sacrificing the taste they love.  All Happy Meals now automatically include Apple Slices and Kids Fries.  Customers also have the option of swapping in an extra bag of Apple Slices in place of the Fries, and a choice of 1 percent low-fat milk or fat-free chocolate milk. The new Happy Meal helps families to make wholesome choices.

Beverages
A tasty beverage goes great with any meal. At McDonald’s choose from many delicious and refreshing beverages.

Options Include:

• Bottled water and diet soft drinks (calorie-free)
• 1% Low-fat Milk (100 calories); Fat-Free Chocolate Milk (130 calories)
• McCafé^® Premium Roast Black Coffee (small, 0 calories), McCafé Hot Nonfat Latté flavored with sugar-free vanilla syrup (small, 80 calories),
• McCafé Iced Nonfat Latté flavored with sugar-free vanilla syrup (small, 40 calories)
• McCafé Real Fruit Smoothies made with Yogurt (small) – Strawberry, Wild Berry, Mango Pineapple (210 – 220 calories)