Jeffrey Salazar
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating that aims to get your body to burn fat for energy, a state known as ketosis. While it's much easier to follow the diet when you know exactly what you're putting in your mouth, it is possible to eat at McDonald's while on the keto diet. The key is to make smart choices and modifications to your order. For example, you can order a bunless burger or a burger salad, skip the fries, and choose keto-friendly drinks like unsweetened iced tea or diet soda. McDonald's offers a nutrition calculator on its website and app, which can be helpful for those following the keto diet.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Can you eat McDonald's on a keto diet? | Yes, but it is not considered healthy. |
| What can you eat from McDonald's on a keto diet? | Burgers without buns, biscuits, muffins, or ketchup; breakfast platters without hash browns or biscuits; scrambled eggs, sausages, and vegetable mixes; egg and sausage burritos without the tortilla; salads with extra shredded lettuce and onions; black coffee or unsweetened tea without cream or sugar. |
| How can you figure out what to eat from McDonald's on a keto diet? | Use the McDonald's nutrition calculator or app to check nutrition information for menu items and modifications. |
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What You'll Learn
Keto-friendly McDonald's meals
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating, which involves getting 60 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and 5 to 10 percent from carbs. This usually means consuming no more than 50 grams of carbs per day, and ideally less than 20 grams for strict keto dieters.
It is possible to eat keto at McDonald's, but you will need to make some modifications to your order. Here are some ideas for keto-friendly meals at McDonald's:
Breakfast
- Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McMuffin or McGriddle: Order this without the English muffin or griddle cake. This option provides 4 grams of net carbs, 26 grams of fat, and 15 grams of protein.
- Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit: Skip the biscuit to reduce the carb count to 4 grams of net carbs. This option also provides 13 grams of fat and 14 grams of protein.
- Triple Breakfast Stack McGriddle: Remove the griddle cake to keep this option keto-friendly. It offers 7 grams of net carbs, 56.5 grams of fat, and 32 grams of protein.
- Sausage Burrito: Without the tortilla, this breakfast item becomes an egg and veggie scramble with cheese.
Lunch/Dinner
- Big Mac: While not the healthiest keto option, you can order a Big Mac without the bun, ketchup, or Big Mac sauce. This option provides 5 grams of net carbs, 25 grams of fat, and 18 grams of protein. If your macros allow it, adding the Big Mac sauce only increases the carb count by 1 gram.
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese: This burger without the bun or ketchup provides 3 grams of net carbs, 25 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein.
- Double Cheeseburger: Removing the bun and ketchup results in 3 grams of net carbs, 20 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein.
- Bacon McDouble: With no bun or ketchup, this option offers 4 grams of net carbs, 21 grams of fat, and 23 grams of protein.
- Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Opting for no bun and adding pico guacamole provides 6 grams of net carbs, 19 grams of fat, and 29 grams of protein.
- Side Salad: Add extra shredded lettuce and onions to any burger to make it more like a burger salad.
- McDouble: This value menu option fits most keto diets when ordered without the bun and ketchup. You can add extra shredded lettuce to make it a cheeseburger salad.
Drinks
- Unsweetened Iced Tea: Contains 0 grams of net carbs.
- Diet Coke or Coke Zero: Both options have 0 grams of net carbs.
- Water: Always a healthy and keto-friendly choice.
When ordering keto at McDonald's, it is important to avoid buns, fries, biscuits, muffins, hash browns, and sugar-free flavorings, as these can add a significant amount of carbs to your meal.
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Customising your order
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating. While it's not recommended to eat McDonald's every day on keto, it can be a good option when you're on the road or in a pinch.
Burgers
All burgers should be ordered without a bun. A bun by itself has 28 grams of carbs, which is a significant portion of the daily limit of 50 grams or less. You can also ask for extra shredded lettuce and onions to bulk up your burger.
The following burgers are good keto options without the bun:
- McDouble
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- Double Cheeseburger
- Bacon McDouble
- Classic Hamburger
Sauces
Be cautious with sauces, as some can be high in carbs. The Big Mac sauce, for example, adds one net carb to your meal. The ranch sauce is a better option than the ranch dressing, which has 12 grams of carbs.
Breakfast
For breakfast, you can order the Sausage, Egg, & Cheese McMuffin without the muffin, or the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit without the biscuit. The breakfast burrito filling without the tortilla is another keto-friendly option.
Drinks
Avoid milk and sugar-free flavourings in your coffee, as these can add carbs to your drink. Instead, stick to hot black coffee or order iced coffee with no cream or milk.
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McDonald's nutrition calculator
McDonald's provides a nutrition calculator on its website to help customers make informed food selections. The calculator allows users to find the calorie, carb, and nutrition information for various McDonald's products. This includes information on the nine most common allergens, such as eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame.
The nutrition calculator is particularly useful for those with food allergies or special dietary needs, as it enables them to check ingredient information before placing an order. While McDonald's takes precautions to prevent cross-contact, they also acknowledge that shared cooking areas and equipment may result in food items coming into contact with allergens.
For those following a keto diet, the nutrition calculator can be beneficial in making suitable food choices. The keto diet emphasizes minimizing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat intake to induce a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for energy. By using the nutrition calculator, keto dieters can identify McDonald's menu items that align with their nutritional goals.
For example, some keto-friendly options at McDonald's include the Big Mac (without the bun, ketchup, or Big Mac sauce), which has 5g net carbs, 25g of fat, and 18g of protein. Similarly, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese (without the bun and ketchup) offers 3g net carbs, 25g of fat, and 25g of protein. These modifications reduce the carbohydrate content of the meals, making them more suitable for a keto diet.
Additionally, McDonald's offers a range of beverages that can be made keto-friendly. While sugar-free flavorings have zero net carbs, adding cream and milk to iced coffees can introduce additional carbohydrates. Therefore, keto dieters may prefer hot black coffee or iced coffee without cream or milk, and with no flavorings or sweeteners, as sugar alcohols can impact blood sugar levels.
In conclusion, the McDonald's nutrition calculator is a valuable tool for customers, especially those with dietary restrictions or allergies. By providing detailed nutritional information, McDonald's empowers customers to make informed choices, ensuring their meals align with their specific dietary needs and preferences.
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Keto-friendly drinks
When following a keto diet, it is important to minimize your carbohydrate intake and increase your fat intake to reach a state of ketosis. This means avoiding sugar and other carbohydrates, such as those found in bread.
When it comes to keto-friendly drinks at McDonald's, there are a few options to consider:
- Coffee: When ordering coffee at McDonald's, it is best to stick to black coffee without any sugar or cream. While McDonald's offers sugar-free coffee flavorings, these often contain sugar alcohols that can impact blood sugar levels. Additionally, their iced coffees typically come with milk and cream, which can add carbohydrates to your drink.
- Tea: Unsweetened tea is a keto-friendly option. Avoid adding sugar or cream to your tea to keep it keto-friendly.
- Diet Soda: While regular soda is not keto-friendly due to its high sugar content, diet soda can be an option as it contains zero net carbs. However, it is not the healthiest drink choice.
It is important to note that McDonald's beverages may not be the best option for those on a keto diet due to the limited dairy and plant-based milk options available.
In addition to drinks, there are also several food options at McDonald's that can be made keto-friendly with modifications, such as removing the bun and ketchup from burgers.
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Keto-friendly breakfast options
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating, which involves getting 60 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and 5 to 10 percent from carbs. This usually means consuming no more than 50 grams of carbs per day, and sometimes as little as 20 grams for those on a stricter keto diet.
If you're following a keto diet, you can still eat at McDonald's, but you'll need to make some modifications to your order. All burgers should be bunless, and you should avoid biscuits, muffins, fries, and ketchup. You can ask for extra shredded lettuce and onions to make a burger salad, and opt for diet soda, unsweetened tea, or black coffee to drink. The McDouble, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, and Bacon McDouble are all suitable options when ordered without the bun and ketchup.
Now, here are some ideas for keto-friendly breakfasts, both at home and on the go:
- Eggs are a great keto choice and can be enjoyed as an omelet with low-carb veggies such as onions, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, bell pepper, and squash.
- Avocado can be eaten on its own with a spoon, or blended with almond milk and cocoa powder for a smoothie.
- Baked eggs with a protein of your choice (sausage, ham, bacon), and cheese is another filling option.
- Beef or turkey links can be added to your breakfast plate for extra protein without the carbs, but be sure to choose grass-fed beef.
- Top yogurt with keto-friendly granola and a small amount of low-carb fruit such as blackberries, raspberries, or star fruit.
- Chaffles, or egg and cheese waffles, are a keto-friendly breakfast option that can also be used as a substitute for sandwiches, burgers, and tacos.
- Frittatas loaded with salami, roasted sweet peppers, and mozzarella cheese are another tasty option, and you can swap in heavy cream for the milk to keep it keto-friendly.
- Crustless quiche is a great way to get some veggies into your breakfast, and spinach, kale, mushrooms, and asparagus are all good low-carb choices.
- For a sweet breakfast, try keto pancakes, waffles, or cinnamon rolls, or go for cereal and smoothies if you're after something quicker.
- Bacon, egg, and cheese roll-ups, frico fried egg tostadas tacos, and egg muffins are all solid grab-and-go breakfast options.
- For a simple, low-carb breakfast, try avocado toast, or riced cauliflower hash browns, which can be cooked in a waffle iron or muffin tin.
- If you're cooking for a group, try a keto breakfast casserole, a classic frittata, or a loaded cauliflower bake.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can eat at McDonald's while on a keto diet. However, it is not recommended to make it a regular part of your diet. McDonald's offers many customisation options and keto-friendly alternatives that can be ordered through their app.
Some keto-friendly options at McDonald's include the bunless Big Mac, McDouble, Quarter Pounder, Double Cheeseburger, and Bacon McDouble. You can also order breakfast items like the Sausage McMuffin without the muffin, or the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit without the biscuit.
You should avoid high-carb items such as buns, biscuits, muffins, fries, hash browns, and breaded chicken sandwiches or McNuggets. Be cautious of sugar-free coffee flavourings and milk or cream in iced coffee, as these can add carbs to your drink.
You can use McDonald's online Nutrition Calculator to determine the nutritional information for different menu items and modifications. This will help you make informed choices and stay within your daily carb limits while on a keto diet.
