- Insider asked dietitians what they would order from McDonald's for a high-protein meal.
- All four opted for chicken-based meals, with two ordering the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
- Apple sticks and sugar-free drinks can provide fiber and keep calories down, too.
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Eating enough protein is vital when it comes to losing fat, building muscle, or improving your athletic performance, and it can be helpful to know where to grab a high-protein meal on the go, including at fast food restaurants like McDonald's.
While fast food in general can be high in fat, salt, highly processed, and unhealthy in excess, eating it occasionally won't make that much difference to your fitness if your diet is mostly on point, nutritionists say.
There's no one size fits all approach to eating, but many sports nutrition professionals recommend the "80/20" rule, which means making nutritious food choices 80% of the time, and eating whatever you want guilt-free 20% of the time.
Trying to follow a restrictive diet, whether cutting out food groups or dropping calories too low, often backfires and can lead to what some health professionals call a "binge-restrict cycle."
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Registered dietitian Alix Turoff told Insider: "There are definitely options for someone looking to order a high-protein, balanced meal" at McDonald's.
US adults are advised to eat 0.8g protein per kg of bodyweight a day, but active people require more to help with muscle growth and repair.
Here is what Turoff and three other qualified nutrition professionals told Insider they'd order if they went to McDonald's.
Alix Turoff: Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich without mayo
Turoff's McDonald's order would be the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich without mayonnaise, which has 430 calories, 15 grams of fat, 48 grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein.
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"Ideally, I'd add some kind of vegetable to add some more fiber but for a quick on-the-go meal, you can definitely make it work," she said.
For breakfast, Turoff said she would order an Egg McMuffin with a packet of apple slices, which provides 325 calories, 13 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of protein.
Nichola Ludlam-Raine: 6 McNuggets or a McChicken sandwich and fries
Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine said she would order six chicken McNuggets "for a filling protein option" or a McChicken Sandwich if she was feeling hungrier, with fries "because it would be rude not to."
Ludlam-Raine would add a packet of apple slices to get one of her five-a-day and have Diet Coke or water as a drink, bringing the meal to 735 calories, 36 grams of fat, 86 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of protein.
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Graeme Tomlinson: 20 McNuggets and large fries
Nutritionist Graeme Tomlinson said that because he doesn't eat McDonald's very often, he would "go to town" and order 20 McNuggets and a large fries with ketchup, plus a large Coke Zero.
"I'd go for it because it's the thing I'd enjoy the most," he told Insider. "It's an added bonus that it contains a combined 54 grams of protein."
Tomlinson's order has 1,380 calories, 76 grams of fat, 125 grams of carbs, and 54 grams of protein.
Jamie Wright: Fruit and Maple Oatmeal
If nutritionist Jamie Wright went to McDonald's for lunch or dinner, he would also go for a Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich, for 530 calories, 26 grams of fat, 48 grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein.
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"What I really like about these sandwiches over the other lunchtime options is that they contain less than half if not close to a third of the saturated fat of the other menu choices," he said.
For breakfast, he said he'd get the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal with a black Americano, which provides 320 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 64 grams of carbs, and six grams of protein.
"While the fruit and maple oatmeal is a bit high on the sugar, this is mainly from the fruit which will also be providing a ton of micronutrients and some fiber to balance out the blood sugar response," he said.
The fiber and slow release energy of the oats also minimizes blood sugar spikes while keeping you full, he added.
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