McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad contains grilled chicken, lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo, cilantro lime glaze and tortilla strips. At first glance, a salad from a fast food restaurant may seem like a healthy option. However, looking closer at the nutrition information tells a different story.
In this article, we will analyze the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad’s nutritional content. We will compare its calories, fat, protein, sodium and other nutrients to recommended daily values. This analysis will help determine if the McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad is truly a healthy choice or not.
Nutrition Facts
Below are the nutrition facts for a McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad with crispy chicken and southwest chili lime ranch dressing (based on a salad with grilled chicken):
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 470 | 24% |
| Total Fat | 24g | 37% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 65mg | 22% |
| Sodium | 1280mg | 54% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 36g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g | 14% |
| Total Sugars | 4g | |
| Added Sugars | 2g | |
| Protein | 32g |
Calories
The Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad contains 470 calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, this represents 24% of your daily value. While under a quarter of daily recommended calories may not seem too high, the concern is that a single menu item accounts for almost 25% of total calories. If consuming other high calorie foods and drinks in the same day, hitting 2,000 calories becomes easy. Experts recommend an average meal contain 500 calories or less. At 470 calories, this salad is very close to that limit for an entire meal.
Total Fat
The salad has 24g of total fat. This represents 37% of the daily value. The daily recommended limit for fat intake is between 25-35% of total calories. Consuming 37% of the recommended daily value from one menu item is quite high. Saturated fat and trans fat levels seem reasonable at 25% and 0%. Still, the total fat content is what raises a red flag for this salad.
Sodium
With 1,280mg of sodium, this salad contains over half of the recommended daily sodium intake. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300mg of sodium per day. Many health experts recommend even less than that. Since over half of the recommended sodium intake comes from just this one menu item, consumers would have to be very careful about sodium consumption for the rest of the day.
Carbohydrates
At 36g of total carbohydrates, the salad has a moderate carb level at 13% of the daily value. 4g come from dietary fiber, meeting 14% of the goal. While not extremely high in carbs, it’s still a significant amount from one menu order. There are also 2g of added sugars. When combined with the carbs from dressing and tortilla strips, carb intake can add up fast.
Protein
With 32g of protein, the salad provides a significant protein boost. Experts recommend 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight, so the salad supplies over 1/3 of protein needs for many adults. Protein is important for keeping you full and provides lasting energy.
Ingredients
Now let’s take a closer look at the salad’s ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce – The base of the salad is romaine lettuce, which is low in calories and carbs and provides vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate. Romaine has high water content to help keep you hydrated.
Grilled Chicken – Chicken breast is a lean protein and healthier choice than crispy fried chicken. Grilled chicken avoids extra oil and breading from frying.
Black Beans – Black beans add fiber, protein, and antioxidants like anthocyanins. They also contain important minerals like iron, magnesium and potassium.
Pico de Gallo – Fresh tomato, onion, cilantro and lime make up the pico de gallo. This provides nutrients like vitamin C, potassium and folate with no added sodium.
Southwest Chili Lime Glaze – The glaze is made with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and chipotle chile peppers to give it a smoky, spicy flavor. The thicker glaze does add more sodium to the salad.
Cilantro Lime Glaze – This lighter glaze provides fresh cilantro and lime juice flavor without excess calories, fat or sodium.
Tortilla Strips – Crispy tortilla strips incorporate more carbs and sodium as well as added fat from frying.
Dressing – The southwest chili lime ranch dressing contains 170 calories, 18g fat and 250mg sodium. Oil, dairy and sodium significantly increase the totals.
Healthy Ingredients
Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, pico de gallo and the cilantro lime glaze provide healthy nutrients without unnecessary calories, fat and sodium.
Unhealthy Ingredients
The chili lime glaze, tortilla strips, and dressing load on extra fat, carbs, and sodium. The combination of these unhealthy ingredients adds significant calories.
Options to Make it Healthier
While the base salad has healthy ingredients, there are ways to modify the meal to lighten it up:
– Choose grilled or roasted chicken instead of crispy chicken to avoid extra oil and breading.
– Skip the chili lime glaze to cut sodium.
– Go easy on tortilla strips or skip them to reduce carbs, fat and sodium.
– Opt for lighter dressing like vinaigrette instead of heavy ranch.
– Request dressing on the side and use sparingly.
Making the right swaps and adjustments can reduce the calorie, sodium and fat intake of the salad. Portion control is also key when adding high calorie toppings.
Nutritional Value Compared to Other Salads
We can also compare the McDonald’s Southwest Salad to similar salads from other restaurants. Here is how it stacks up against two competitors:
McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad vs. Panera Southwest Chili Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
| Nutrient | McDonald’s (with dressing) | Panera (with dressing) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 470 | 370 |
| Total Fat | 24g | 16g |
| Sodium | 1280mg | 970mg |
Panera’s version has 100 fewer calories and 8g less fat. It also contains over 300mg less sodium.
McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad vs. Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad
| Nutrient | McDonald’s (with dressing) | Chick-fil-A (with dressing) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 470 | 370 |
| Total Fat | 24g | 19g |
| Sodium | 1280mg | 830mg |
Chick-fil-A’s salad also has fewer calories and less fat and sodium compared to McDonald’s.
When looking at competitors, McDonald’s Southwest Salad has the highest counts for calories, fat and sodium.
Rating the Nutritional Value
Given the analysis above, we would give the McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad the following ratings:
Calories – 6/10. With 470 calories, the salad rates average for calorie content.
Total Fat – 5/10. At 37% of the daily recommended value, the fat content is quite high.
Sodium – 3/10. 1280mg of sodium is over half the daily limit, making this rating poor.
Carbohydrates – 7/10. Carbs are moderate compared to protein and fat content.
Protein – 8/10. With 32g of protein, the salad provides substantial protein.
Ingredients – 7/10. It contains healthy lettuce, chicken and beans but loses points for unhealthy toppings and dressing.
Overall Nutritional Value – 6/10. The salad rates average due to its high sodium, fat and calorie content balanced by more positive protein and carb levels.
Conclusion
The McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad does contain some healthy ingredients like romaine lettuce, grilled chicken and black beans. However, the additions of chili lime glaze, tortilla strips and creamy southwest dressing add significant calories, fat and sodium. When comparing nutrition numbers to similar salads, McDonald’s has the highest counts for calories, fat and sodium.
Making modifications like asking for light dressing, skipping high sodium toppings and choosing grilled chicken make the salad a more balanced meal. Overall, the salad rates average for nutritional value. While not completely unhealthy, it could be lighter to serve as part of a balanced diet. Consumers should consume it occasionally and in moderation as the sodium and fat content are high for a single meal. With some tweaks and portion control, it can be worked into an otherwise healthy diet.