When it comes to fast food, McDonald’s is usually the first to come to mind. Although some fast food menu items are relatively good for you, sometimes you crave an unhealthy Big Mac and a side of fries. (Read what happens when you eat fast food every day.)
However, McDonald’s doesn’t have the unhealthiest burger, according to a June 2024 analysis conducted by PlushCare. The team compared the nutritional information for each cheeseburger found at common fast food restaurants, scoring them according to their calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. A cheeseburger from Five Guys scored the highest on their list of unhealthy cheeseburgers. McDonald’s was tied with Burger King at Number 14 out of 16 restaurants.
A single cheeseburger from Five Guys has 980 calories, 55 grams of fat, and 1,050 milligrams of sodium. Compare that with the McDonald’s cheeseburger, which comes in at 300 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 720 milligrams of sodium. PlushCare’s analysis found that the Five Guys cheeseburger has 73% more saturated fat than other fast-food cheeseburgers. The saturated fat in the Five Guys cheeseburger is what pushed its unhealthy score to the top of the list. To manage your cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat to 13 grams or less for a 2,000-calorie diet.
The most unhealthy American fast foods
Five Guys also topped the list of the unhealthiest fries. A regular serving of fries from Five Guys has 953 calories, 41 grams of fat (7 grams saturated), and 982 milligrams of sodium. You might be surprised to know the fries also have 15 grams of fiber. If you eat just a cheeseburger and fries from Five Guys, you’ll get enough calories for an entire day with 44% of those calories from fat. In-N-Out Burger has the least unhealthy fries, according to the study.
If you love a good fried chicken sandwich, McDonald’s has the least unhealthy out of 20 brands. The McChicken has 390 calories and 3.5 grams of saturated fat. The unhealthiest chicken sandwich goes to Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Classic, coming in at 700 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, and 63% of your daily sodium limit. Popeye’s also gets the top billing for the unhealthiest chicken nuggets, and McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets is at the bottom of the unhealthy list. (Read which unhealthy fast food even staff refuses to eat.)
A “good” fast-food meal isn’t quite complete without a thick shake. The analysis compared vanilla shakes from 14 fast-food chains and found Fatburger to have the least healthy shake. Fatburger’s vanilla shake has 890 calories, which is more than enough calories for a single meal. You’ll also find 30 grams of saturated fat, 86 grams of sugar, and nearly the same amount of cholesterol as in an egg. At the bottom of this unhealthy list? McDonald’s again.