McDonald's is a popular hamburger chain worldwide. While hamburgers are often thought of as unhealthy junk food, many people worry about rapid blood sugar spikes, particularly due to the high carbohydrate content in buns and fries.
For this experiment, I ate various combinations centered around the Big Mac and used CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring) to measure post-meal blood sugar levels to determine which eating method would result in the lowest blood sugar increase.
As it turns out, from a blood sugar perspective, it can actually be a healthier option than many people might think.
updated on 2025/05/01
- Big Mac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke
- Big Mac, Salad, Zero Coke
- Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Zero Coke
- Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Milk
- Result 1
- ★Supplement Strategy 1★ Big Mac, Zero Coke, Medium Fries, 2 Salacia tablets
- ★Supplement Strategy 2★ Big Mac, Milk, Edamame & Corn, 2 Salacia tablets
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Big Mac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke
First, I tried the combination of a Big Mac, medium fries, and Zero Coke.
Regarding the effect of beverages on blood sugar levels, as explained in detail in this article, while Zero Coke doesn't raise blood sugar levels at all, regular Coke causes a significant increase. Therefore, Zero Coke is expected to have minimal impact on our measurements.
Additionally, this article explains the effects of McDonald's orange juice and apple juice on blood sugar levels.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
For comparison, I included a graph of 150g of white rice. Interestingly, despite the Big Mac set containing about twice the amount of carbohydrates as white rice, the peak blood glucose levels were similar.
This is likely because consuming carbohydrates together with protein, fat, and dietary fiber leads to a more gradual rise in blood glucose levels and helps suppress the peak value. This suggests the importance of consuming these nutrients in a balanced way.
- Big Mac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g only (Blue line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
Big Mac, Salad, Zero Coke
Next, let's look at the combination of Big Mac, salad, and Zero Coke. In Japanese McDonald's set menus, you can choose salad instead of fries.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
As shown in the graph, when 100g of cabbage is added to 150g of white rice, the dietary fiber from the vegetables slows down digestion, significantly suppressing post-meal blood glucose levels (comparing blue and brown lines).
Compared to fries, blood glucose levels are clearly lower, but considering the carbohydrate content is halved, the reduction is smaller than expected.
In my case, after measuring blood glucose levels with CGM for several months, I found that even with extreme carbohydrate intake, my blood glucose never exceeds 250. This is likely because insulin is secreted in large amounts as blood glucose approaches 250. However, continuous high insulin secretion can lead to pancreatic fatigue resulting in decreased secretion, or insulin resistance making it harder to lower blood glucose, ultimately increasing the risk of diabetes. Therefore, I aim to maintain nutritional balance while limiting carbohydrate intake to around 50g and keeping maximum post-meal blood glucose below 180.
While I don't have diabetes, using CGM has deepened my understanding of my post-meal blood glucose fluctuation patterns and appropriate meal balance.
CGM is explained in this article, and the harmful effects of high blood glucose in non-diabetics are explained in this article.
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Salad, Zero Coke (Yellow line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g only (Blue line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g and cabbage 100g (Brown line, 50g carbohydrates)
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Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Zero Coke
Next, I tried edamame & corn instead of salad. In Japanese McDonald's set menus, you can choose edamame & corn as a side menu option.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
Compared to salad, despite edamame & corn containing more carbohydrates, blood glucose levels were kept lower (comparing yellow and gray lines). This is likely because edamame & corn contains more protein than salad, which has the effect of slowing down digestion. In fact, looking at the graph, "150g white rice with 30g protein (green line)" shows significantly suppressed post-meal blood glucose levels compared to "150g white rice alone (blue line)".
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Salad, Zero Coke (Yellow line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Edamame & Corn, Zero Coke (Gray line, approx. 60g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g only (Blue line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g and protein 30g (Green line, 50g carbohydrates)
Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Milk
Next, I tried replacing Zero Coke with milk in the combination. In McDonald's set menus, you can choose milk as a beverage option.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
Compared to the previous lowest measurement with "Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Zero Coke," blood glucose levels decreased even further (comparing gray and purple lines). Additionally, since combining milk with white rice suppresses blood glucose elevation compared to white rice alone (comparing blue and yellow lines), milk appears to have an effect of suppressing post-meal blood glucose levels.
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Edamame & Corn, Zero Coke (Gray line, approx. 60g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Edamame & Corn, Milk (Purple line, approx. 62g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g only (Blue line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- White rice 150g and protein 30g (Yellow line, 50g carbohydrates)
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Result 1
Based on the experiment, here is the combination that resulted in the lowest post-meal blood glucose levels in the Big Mac set:
- Edamame & corn as the side menu
- Milk as the beverage
This combination is recommended for those concerned about blood glucose levels, as similar effects can be expected with hamburgers other than the Big Mac.
Additionally, edamame & corn and milk provide 12g of protein. Since a Big Mac contains 26g of protein and a regular hamburger contains 13g, this combination is also effective for protein supplementation when choosing a smaller hamburger.
★Supplement Strategy 1★ Big Mac, Zero Coke, Medium Fries, 2 Salacia tablets
However, many people still want to enjoy fries when visiting McDonald's.
In this case, one option is to take supplements that suppress blood sugar increases. Salacia is a supplement that slows down the breakdown of starch into glucose, helping to control blood sugar spikes.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
The post-meal blood glucose levels were almost identical when switching from medium fries to salad and when combining medium fries with Salacia supplements.
Salacia supplements are easy to carry in a bag and might be a good option for those who want to enjoy fries at McDonald's but are concerned about blood glucose levels (however, the separate issue of fries being high in calories remains).
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Salad, Zero Coke (Yellow line, approx. 50g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke, 2 Salacia tablets (Green line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
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★Supplement Strategy 2★ Big Mac, Milk, Edamame & Corn, 2 Salacia tablets
Next, I tried adding Salacia supplements to the combination of "Big Mac, Edamame & Corn, Milk" which had shown the lowest post-meal blood glucose levels in previous experiments.
The post-meal blood glucose levels are shown in the graph below.
By adding Salacia supplements, we were able to further suppress post-meal blood glucose levels. For those concerned about blood glucose levels, this supplement might be an effective option.
- BigMac, Medium Fries, Zero Coke (Orange line, approx. 90g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Edamame & Corn, Milk (Purple line, approx. 62g carbohydrates)
- BigMac, Edamame & Corn, Milk, 2 Salacia tablets (Blue line, approx. 62g carbohydrates)
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