Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
big mac
versus
whey protein powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in big mac and whey protein powder:
Both big mac and whey protein powder are high in calories. Whey protein powder has 37% more calories than big mac - big mac has 257 calories per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 352 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, big mac is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to whey protein powder per calorie. Big mac has a macronutrient ratio of 18:31:51 and for whey protein powder, 89:7:4 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Big Mac | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 18% | 89% |
| Carbohydrates | 31% | 7% |
| Fat | 51% | 4% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Whey protein powder has 69% less carbohydrates than big mac - big mac has 20.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 6.3g of carbohydrates.
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 94% more dietary fiber than big mac - big mac has 1.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 3.1g of dietary fiber.
Whey protein powder has less sugar than big mac - big mac has 4g of sugar per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Both big mac and whey protein powder are high in protein. Whey protein powder has 561% more protein than big mac - big mac has 11.8g of protein per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 78.1g of protein.
Whey protein powder has 3.8 times less saturated fat than big mac - big mac has 3.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 0.78g of saturated fat.
Big mac and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of cholesterol - big mac has 36mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 16mg of cholesterol.
Big mac and whey protein powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - big mac has 0.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Big mac has more Vitamin A than whey protein powder - big mac has 56.5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and whey protein powder does not contain significant amounts.
Whey protein powder has more thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, however, big mac contains more niacin. Both big mac and whey protein powder contain significant amounts of folate.
| Big Mac | Whey Protein Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.176 MG | 0.609 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.209 MG | 2.017 MG |
| Niacin | 3.384 MG | 1.136 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | ~ | 0.607 MG |
| Folate | 46 UG | 33 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.88 UG | 2.45 UG |
Both big mac and whey protein powder are high in calcium. Whey protein powder has 304% more calcium than big mac - big mac has 116mg of calcium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 469mg of calcium.
Big mac has 77% more iron than whey protein powder - big mac has 2mg of iron per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 1.1mg of iron.
Whey protein powder is an excellent source of potassium and it has 176% more potassium than big mac - big mac has 181mg of potassium per 100 grams and whey protein powder has 500mg of potassium.
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Big Mac (McDONALD'S, BIG MAC) and Whey Protein Powder (Protein powder, whey based, NFS) .
Big Mac g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whey Protein Powder g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||