McDonald's may have started in America, but it's since grown into a multi-billion dollar corporation that has restaurants internationally. It's come to serve many purposes: 3 AM food after a night of partying, a nice weekend breakfast treat, and even a quick, affordable meal on the go. However, McDonald's is not known for being the healthiest of restaurant choices. Most of their food and drink items are high in calories, fat, and salt. We don't recommend it be eaten regularly!
If you find yourself traveling and you get a craving for McDonald's, you'll have loads of new treats to choose from. However, we're here to warn you that, the richer the food, the poorer the calories.
10 Side Dish Glow-Up: Cheesy Bacon Fries (Australia) ~560 Calories
Why settle for plain old fries when you can have a little something extra? This mouth-watering side dish can be found in McDonald's in Australia and, if we're honest, the only thing that could go wrong is the fries becoming soggy. However, if you're trying to lose those stubborn pounds, indulging in this dish might not be a good idea. A serving of cheesy bacon fries is 560 calories...and this is only an accompaniment!
9 No Vegetables To Be Found: Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger (Spain) ~750 Calories
If you find yourself in Spain and you're looking to treat yourself, then pop into a McDonald's and bite into the Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger. This burger has everything you could want: a juicy beef patty, bacon, and cheese. And to sweeten the deal, there's a special "McBacon" sauce to add some extra creaminess. But this burger has a dirty little secret: it's 750 calories! We don't recommend checking the scale right after...
8 Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich (Canada) ~530 Calories
Trust the "True North Strong and Free" to offer a "healthier" option in their McDonald's (but more about that later). The Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich can be considered a twist on the classic Caprese salad. This chicken sandwich has lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese, topped off with a tomato and herb sauce. Despite being "healthier", this sandwich is still 530 calories. If you need McDonald's, then this is the lesser of the evils.
7 Your Dentist Won't Be Thrilled: Stroopwafel McFlurry (The Netherlands) ~650 Calories
No one wants to admit it, but McDonald's desserts are pretty bomb! If you check out a McDonald's in the Netherlands, then you'll come across the Stroopwafel McFlurry. It's your classic McFlurry, but full of stroopwafel bits (a caramel waffle cookie) and extra caramel sauce. There is nothing that can go wrong here....except for the calorie count. The dessert alone is a whopping 650 calories! This Mcflurry is a once-in-a-while indulgence.
6 A Pescatarian's Dream: Ebi Filet-O Shrimp Burger (Japan) ~388 Calories
Japan has always offered creative twists on classic American brands, and McDonald's is no different! Their Ebi Filet-O-Shrimp burger consists of battered shrimp tempura and lettuce, topped off with shrimp tempura sauce and mustard. No beef in sight! Just another fun fact: this burger is named after model Yuri Ebihara, who had a hand in the burger's creation. Now, this burger is probably the healthiest you'll ever find: it's only 388 calories!
5 A Colourful St.Patrick's Day Treat: Shamrock Shake (USA) ~820 Calories
Many major American brands release themed food and drink items during holidays. McDonald's contribution to this trend is the Shamrock Shake. It's a green-colored milkshake with loads of whipped cream, and can make for a cool photo for the 'Gram! Having said that, we strongly recommend that you not overdo it. Large McDonald's shakes are chock-full of calories, but the Shamrock Shake takes the cake with 800 calories! And that's just the drink alone...
4 The Classic (But Yikes!): Big Breakfast With HotCakes (USA) ~1080 Calories
McDonald's is known for their tasty breakfast food, including the classic Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes. It consists of pancakes, a meat side (such as sausage or bacon), and a hashbrown. Sound delicious right? Well, you'd be right... except for the added inches around your waist. This classic breakfast is 1,080 calories and 57 grams of fat! We're not saying to never eat this, but be wary of how often you eat it.
3 The Not-So-Healthy-Alternative: Southwest Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Salad (USA) ~520 Calories
If you're not in the mood for a burger or you want to attempt a healthier meal (the operative word being "attempt"), then McDonald's offers a wide array of salads. One of these is the Southwest Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Salad. It consists of lettuce, crispy chips, corn and beans, chicken, and ranch dressing. Now you're probably wondering: how can a salad be unhealthy? Unfortunately, at 520 calories, it's all too easy.
2 Not The McRib: Prosperity Burger (Malaysia) ~510 Calories
McDonald's in Malaysia offers a sandwich that has been compared a lot to the McRib (in appearance only). The Prosperity Sandwich consists of a beef patty slathered in spicy black pepper sauce and onions. It's also one of the few McDonald's international items to not include "Mc" in its name. However, this sandwich has an unfortunate twist: it's 510 calories. If you're ever in Malaysia, we recommend giving it a try, but not every day.
1 The Vegetarian Option: McCurry Pan (India) ~377 Calories
McDonald's in India offers a lot of vegetarian options, including the McCurry Pan. It's curried vegetables covered in a cream sauce and baked in a bread "pan". It's a healthy twist on a bread bowl! This dish was released in specifically vegetarian McDonald's near the sites of religious pilgrimages in India. Now, while it's not perfect, this dish is slightly healthier at 377 calories. If you're going to indulge, this is it.