Fat and Calorie Content of Fast Food and a Home-Cooked Meal
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Eating fast food once in a while won’t hurt you, but too much of it can cause serious problems. Most fast food contains too many calories, salt and artery-clogging cholesterol to eat every day, or even once a week. Here’s a look at how many calories and grams of fat are packed into fast food. Keep in mind that kids ages 7 to 12 should eat about 2,200 calories a day.
| Food | Calories | Fat |
|---|---|---|
| McDonald’s Big Mac | 563 | 33 grams |
| Medium-sized McDonald’s French fries | 384 | 20 |
| Medium-sized McDonald’s vanilla shake | 733 | 21 |
| Total for one meal | 1,680 calories | 74 grams |
| Burger King Whopper with cheese | 790 | 48 |
| Medium-sized Burger King French fries | 387 | 20 |
| Medium-sized Burger King vanilla shake | 667 | 35 |
| Total for one meal | 1,844 calories | 103 grams |
| Compare that to a meal prepared at home: | ||
| One-half of a roasted chicken breast | 142 | 3 grams |
| Medium-sized baked white potato | 130 | 0 |
| Half a cup of green peas | 67 | 0 |
| 8-ounce glass of 1% milk | 102 | 3 |
| 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce | 105 | 0 |
| Total for one meal | 546 | 5 grams |
