If you have a hankering for McDonald’s, you might find yourself at the fast-food restaurant unsure of what to order.
McDonald’s has no shortage of items, and while some of them might be similar, each has its own unique features.
If you’re feeling particularly hungry, then you might consider ordering either the Quarter Pounder or the Big Mac.
This might make you wonder what the differences are between the two burgers.
You’ll find that the nutritional value differs between each burger, but here’s a deeper look at the differences between a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac.
Quarter Pounder Vs Big Mac (What’s The Difference?)
1. Calorie Count
One of the slight differences between a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac at McDonald’s is the calorie count.
A Quarter Pounder has 520 calories while a Big Mac has 550 calories.
This is important to know if you’re counting calories.
If you’re unsure why this difference matters, then it’s worth understanding what a calorie is.
A calorie is a unit of energy.
The more calories that you consume, the more energy your body has to perform certain functions.
However, when you take in more calories, or units of energy, than your body needs, it chooses to store the calories instead.
The problem with storing energy is that the human body does this by creating fat.
Fat cells store energy.
The more fat cells you have, the larger you become.
Obesity can cause all sorts of diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
That’s why it’s important to ensure that you’re only eating the number of calories that your body needs.
If you don’t get enough calories, then your body doesn’t get the units of energy that it needs to function.
Your body will essentially begin eating itself to get the energy it needs.
It will take calories from muscles and fat.
If you continue to limit how many calories you eat, you could end up starving.
This becomes a problem because your body is no longer able to function.
It starts to shut down.
You might become too weak to get healthy.
It’s even possible that your body won’t have the energy it needs to digest the food that you do end up eating.
That’s why understanding how many calories you need to eat is important for maintaining a healthy weight.
The number of calories you need depends on your gender, activity level, weight goals, and diet.
Age also impacts how many calories you need to eat.
This can help you decide whether you need to eat a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder.
2. Total Fat
Another difference between a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac at McDonald’s is the amount of total fat in the burgers.
In a Quarter Pounder, the amount of total fat is 26 grams.
In a Big Mac, the amount of total fat is 30 grams.
While that may be only four grams of fat more than the Quarter Pounder, it’s an important difference for people who are trying to watch their health or weight.
When it comes to fat, there are good fats and some fats that are best eaten in smaller quantities.
Unsaturated fats are a good type of fats.
They can help improve blood cholesterol which in turn helps heart health.
If you suffer from elevated heart rhythms or other problems with your heart, then unsaturated fats can help stabilize it.
Unsaturated fats tend to come from plants.
However, certain fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, also come from fish.
Saturated fats are a bad type of fats.
They can increase blood cholesterol and weaken your heart.
If you eat too many saturated fats, then you could be at risk for cardiac arrest.
Saturated fats are primarily found in certain types of meat and dairy.
Some of the types of food that contain saturated fats are pizza, burgers, and whole milk.
This is important information to consider when choosing between a Quarter Pounder or a Big Mac because you want to make sure that you’re selecting the best option if health is a concern.
For example, if you’re someone who needs to watch their cholesterol levels, then eating the burger that contains the least fat is important.
It’s also worth noting the saturated fat levels in both burgers.
The Quarter Pounder has 12 grams of saturated fat.
The Big Mac has 11 grams of saturated fat.
As such, the Big Mac is actually a bit healthier regarding saturated fat.
3. Total Carbs
The number of total carbs is also different between the Quarter Pounder and the Big Mac.
The Quarter Pounder has 42 grams of total carbs.
The Big Mac has 45 grams of total carbs.
This is also important information to know if you’re on a diet or watching your health.
While it may only be a three-gram difference, those three grams can matter if you’re on a strict diet.
The thing about carbs is that they’re often misunderstood.
Eating carbs isn’t necessarily always bad.
Carbs are a great source of energy, after all.
The type of carbs that you consume is what makes things complicated.
There are two main types of carbs.
They’re called simple carbs and complex carbs.
Simple carbs are digested easily and tend to make your blood sugar spike as a result.
Some examples of simple carbs are white sugar and added sugar—like the type you might drink in a can of soda or pop.
This type of carb isn’t always good since it interferes with your blood sugar.
This can lead to diabetes if the rest of your health isn’t great.
However, some simple carbs are good.
Simple carbs that come from fruit, for example, are good because the food also contains fiber and other vitamins and minerals.
That said, it’s best to limit how much you eat at a time.
Complex carbs take longer to digest and thus provide more energy over a longer period.
That’s because the sugar is released over a longer period.
The best type of complex carbs to eat are those that add a lot of fiber to your diet as well as those that add vitamin B.
If you want to get the most energy out of McDonald’s food, then you might want to choose the Big Mac since it has more carbs than the Quarter Pounder.
4. Protein
Another important nutrient in the Quarter Pounder and the Big Mac is protein.
A Quarter Pounder has 30 grams of protein in it.
A Big Mac has 25 grams of protein in it.
Considering that a Big Mac contains two beef patties, you might feel a bit surprised to know that it actually has the least protein of the two burgers.
The primary reason why a Big Mac has less protein than a Quarter Pounder is the size of the patties.
A Quarter Pounder has one big beef patty that weighs a quarter of a pound, hence the name.
A Big Mac, on the other hand, uses two thinner patties.
Since the patties aren’t as thick, they don’t contain as much meat as the Quarter Pounder.
As such, it has less protein.
This is a significant difference if the amount of protein that you eat is important.
If someone is trying to build muscle, for example, then eating enough protein is essential.
Protein is a vital part of growing and developing muscles.
Without it, your body can still create muscle, but it will take a bit longer since you’re not supplying it with protein.
Proteins are also the basic units of amino acids.
They help cells function.
Without enough protein, your body may not function at peak performance.
In most cases, you don’t have to worry about a protein deficiency.
However, if you’re trying to build muscle, then you might want to choose a Quarter Pounder since it has more protein than a Big Mac.
5. Dietary Fiber
The Quarter Pounder differs from a Big Mac when it comes to dietary fiber.
The Quarter Pounder has 2 grams of dietary fiber.
That means it has 9% of your recommended daily value of fiber.
The Big Mac has 3 grams of dietary fiber.
That means it has 10% of your recommended daily value of fiber.
Fiber is an extremely important part of your diet.
It becomes even more important as you grow older.
The primary use of fiber is in your digestive system.
The more fiber that you eat, the more robust and efficient your digestive system is.
The happier your digestive system is, the happier the rest of your body is going to be.
Your digestive system does more than just help collect waste and pass it—it also helps generate energy.
It strips energy from the food that you eat.
The energy goes to other parts of your body for further processing and use.
Then it moves waste down your intestines for eventual removal.
When your digestive system isn’t functioning as well, then it also messes with your energy levels.
It’s no longer able to break down energy efficiently.
As a result, you might feel sluggish or lethargic.
This can impact how active you are which can, in turn, affect the rest of your body.
It might also increase the chances of diarrhea.
Having constant diarrhea is a problem because it can dehydrate you.
Being dehydrated brings a whole different slew of health problems.
While the Quarter Pounder and Big Mac don’t have a lot of dietary fiber, they do have some.
If you’re someone who needs to watch how much fiber they consume, then choosing to eat a Big Mac is going to be more beneficial than eating a Quarter Pounder.
6. Calcium
A more significant difference between the Quarter Pounder and the Big Mac is the amount of calcium in each.
A Quarter Pounder has 190 milligrams of calcium in it.
That’s 15% of your recommended daily value of calcium.
A Big Mac has only 120 milligrams of calcium in it.
That’s 10% of your daily recommended value of calcium.
As such, a Quarter Pounder is the better choice if you need more calcium in your diet.
Calcium is an extremely important mineral.
You usually think of calcium when it comes to bone health and oral health.
However, calcium plays a more important role than simply making up your bones and teeth.
It also helps with blood clotting.
When you get cut, you may notice that you stop bleeding after a while.
Calcium is what makes that happen.
Without it and a few other things, the wound remains open, and you could slowly bleed to death.
Blood clotting is an essential part of keeping your body alive and staving off infection.
A clot essentially forms a film that keeps blood from leaving your body.
It also provides a barrier to keep bacteria from getting into your body.
Calcium is also important in muscle contraction.
That doesn’t mean just for the muscles in your arms and legs either.
Your heart is a muscle.
Calcium helps the heart contract and keep beating.
The problem with calcium is that the majority of it is in your bones and teeth.
Only 1% of the calcium in your body is in your blood or your muscles.
When your body needs calcium, it takes it from your bones.
This isn’t bad if you regularly eat foods that have calcium in them to replenish what it takes.
If you don’t, then it can make your teeth and bones brittle and weak.
To ensure you’re getting enough calcium, you might want to eat a Quarter Pounder instead of a Big Mac.
7. Ingredients
A final difference between a Quarter Pounder and a Big Mac is the ingredients that are used in each.
They do share some similar ingredients, however.
For example, they both have the same type of bun.
Albeit, the Quarter Pounder has a bun suited for the Quarter Pounder.
The Big Mac has a bun suited for the Big Mac.
The Big Mac also has three buns while the Quarter Pounder has the standard two buns.
Both also use pasteurized American cheese.
Both also use onions and pickles.
The difference is that the Big Mac includes shredded lettuce and Big Mac sauce while the Quarter Pounder doesn’t.
Instead, you get ketchup and mustard on a Quarter Pounder.
One of the most important parts of a Big Mac is its Big Mac sauce.
You won’t be able to get that sauce on the Quarter Pounder.
If you want a typical burger, then you’ll want to choose a Quarter Pounder.
If you want that Big Mac sauce, then you can get it with a Big Mac burger.
Along with the ingredients, a major difference between the Quarter Pounder and the Big Mac is their flavors.
A final difference regarding their ingredients is the patties.
While both use a 100% beef patty, they’re different sizes.
A Quarter Pounder uses a thick beef patty.
It weighs a quarter of a pound.
The Big Mac uses a simple 100% beef patty.
It’s thinner than a Quarter Pounder patty.
You get two beef patties in a Big Mac and only one in a Quarter Pounder.
Conclusion
There are quite a few nutritional differences between a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder.
Depending on your nutritional needs, you might find that one better suits your needs than the other.
The number of patties, their thickness, and the flavor of both burgers are also good differentiators between the two burger options.
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