Is a Whopper ‘healthier’ than a Big Mac?
Indeed, the Battle of the Titans. Because people are often #teamwhopper or #teambigmac. Now, I like them both… But for me, the Big Mac remains the undisputed number one. For one thing, I miss the cheese on the Whopper (and yes, that’s why I always order it with extra cheese when I get one), and I even dare say that I find the Big King superior to the Whopper. But anyway, that’s a whole other discussion.
Of course, they’re both unhealthy, but the Whopper still feels more unhealthy to me. More substantial, at least. The bun tastes too much like bread (yes, apparently that can actually be a negative compared to the deliciously chemical bun at Maccie’s), and the meat also has more of a grilled flavor. In fact, the Whopper is a more authentic burger, because the Big Mac tastes delicious, but anything but authentic. Trust me, I know, because I have tried to recreate the Big Mac at home many times.
But which one is healthier?
These days, research has been done on practically everything, so yes, this issue has been researched too. Interestingly, the researchers also conclude that if you want to make either burger healthier, you should replace the bun with a lettuce leaf. Well DUH, I could have figured that out myself. But I’m not going to McDonald’s or Burger King only to replace the bun with a few pathetic lettuce leaves. If you’re going to sin, do it properly.
Okay, on to the most important part. The burgers contain the following:
Big Mac: 540 calories, 28 g fat, 46 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein
Whopper: 660 calories, 40 g fat, 49 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein
Well, seems pretty clear, right? The Whopper contains more of everything and is therefore the unhealthier choice. BUT nothing in life is ever quite that simple, and this is no exception, because there are still a few catches. The Whopper doesn’t just contain more calories; you also get more for your money. It contains more meat, because a Whopper is genuinely a Quarter Pounder, or approximately 113 grams. The Big Mac, on the other hand, has just over 90 grams of meat. And that’s across two burgers! You don’t have to avoid either one because of the salt content, either: the Big Mac contains 940 mg of salt and the Whopper 980.
And the conclusion issss…
That they’re both bad for you. Yes, that is genuinely the conclusion of the research Maryann Walsh conducted for Eat This. But my personal conclusion is that the Whopper is worse: more of everything, including calories, fat, carbohydrates, and salt. And while you may get a bigger burger, even though the Big Mac is smaller, it still fills me up. And so the Mac remains undefeated after all.
Also read:
- McDonald’s launches Veggie McKroket
- Burger King’s Whopper goes vegan
- This is the absolute worst thing you can order at McDonald’s
