McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets

Eating Healthily

Whether you're trying to lose weight, have more energy, increase lean muscle mass, or prevent disease, a healthy diet can help you achieve these goals. However, many people are not sure how to go about eating healthily at all. Sure, you've heard of macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates), but how can you use a food label to help determine your best dietary choices?

Here's how CaloriesCalc.com can help you

Our website aims to help you understand your own dietary needs and to facilitate healthy dietary choices. We offer a database of the nutrient composition of virtually every food - prepared items, packaged foods, ingredients, and more.

You can use listings as a guide to help you plan meals, count daily calories, and keep track of the ratio of carbohydrates to fats and proteins. Whether you cook your own meals or rely on packaged reduced-calorie foods, our database can serve as a resource - there's no need to spend countless hours searching for nutritional information.

Of course, having information and knowing how to use it are two different things. It helps to have a basic understanding of macronutrients and how they work.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. However, "preferred energy source" doesn't necessarily mean you need to make your diet consist primarily of carbohydrates, or that all carbohydrates are created equal. In today's society, carbs are ubiquitous, especially in pre-packaged foods. In particular, "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains 15.09g of carbs per 100g. While planning your diet it's important to understand the difference between refined carbohydrates which are energy dense and have a low nutrient composition, and the more nutritious whole grain or complex carbohydrates.

A simplified version of this concept is the fact that complex carbohydrates tend to be better nutritional choices. Complex carbohydrates are less processed than refined carbohydrates. Essentially refined carbohydrates provide energy with little nutritional value. Whereas complex carbohydrates and wholegrains contain vitamins, minerals and fiber and have many beneficial health effects.

While an apple and a lollipop both contain carbohydrates, the lollipop is made primarily of refined sugars. The apple, being closer to its natural state, provides a combination of carbohydrates and fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. When carbohydrates are combined with fiber, glucose is released into the blood stream at a slow and steady pace, providing more lasting energy. This is in contrast to the quick rush of glucose from foods high in refined carbohydrate and sugar.

As a general rule of thumb, carbohydrates in their natural state are more nutritious than those that are refined or altered. Whole grain items (pastas, breads, etc.) are usually healthier choices than white bread or pasta. This is because white flour has been processed to remove the outer layer of the grain, during this process much of the fiber and protein is also removed. Whole grain flour, as the name suggests, uses the entire grain of wheat and preserves its nutritional value.

In addition, when using labels, it's important to look under the "carbohydrates" section and read how many grams of carbohydrates (4 calories from carbohydrate = 1 gram) are comprised of sugars. However, when reading labels be mindful that some of the sugar content may come from added sugars and not from natural sources such as fruit. Added sugars are the kind of sugar you want to avoid - this means that sucrose has been artificially added to enhance flavor. For example, "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains 0.08g total sugars per 100g. The sugar that each food contains can be analyzed on monosaccharides and disaccharides. The monosaccharides that "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains are while the disaccharides are sucrose 0.08g and . Added sugar may significantly increase the calorie content of food with little nutritional value, to achieve or maintain a healthy weight try not to consume foods with refined or added sugars on a regular basis. Eating fruits also supplies the body with fiber and antioxidants - something adding table sugar doesn't accomplish. Vegetables have some carbohydrate, but they tend to have many micronutrients, antioxidants, and lots of fiber that can improve your well-being.

One other important thing to look for under the "carbohydrate" section of food labels is fiber content. Fiber assists in digestion and isn't metabolized in the same way that other carbohydrates are.

Unfortunately, the typical American diet contains a large amount of refined carbohydrates which can easily add a significant amount of calories to your total calorie intake, and may lead to you exceeding your total calorie requirements for the day. The other downside to consuming to many refined carbohydrates is that they typically leave you feeling less satisfied then complex carbohydrates. The reason for this is the refining process strips the grain of a large proportion of the fiber content, the fiber is what typically produces that feeling of fullness and satiety. Additionally, many of the beneficial vitamins and minerals are also lost during the refining process.

Protein

Protein is essential for all bodily functions as it provides the body with amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for all body tissues including muscle and organ tissue. Consuming protein with each meal can also leave you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. In particular, the protein contained in "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" is 15.79g.

Consuming protein after strength and/or resistance training can aid in muscle synthesis and help increase muscle mass, however simply eating extra protein will not increase muscle mass, protein consumption needs to be combined with regular exercise. Even if you're not a bodybuilder, adding on some lean muscle mass can help raise metabolism and burn fat. Those with more muscle have a higher resting metabolic rate, so even at rest, they burn more calories than those with less muscle.

Whether you're eating protein to drop fat, gain muscle, or both, it's important to seek out lean protein, or protein that has very little fat. Some fat is important (see the next section), but the type of fat matters greatly, so not all high-fat proteins are equally healthy. Some examples of lean protein include skinless chicken, tuna fish, tilapia, extra-lean ground beef, egg whites, low-fat or fat free Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, and tofu.

While reading a label, be sure to check the ratio of protein to fat. In lean proteins, there is substantially more protein than fat (as an example, egg whites have zero fat but plenty of protein).

Vitamins

Vitamins are essential to good health and wellbeing. Vitamins play a key role in virtually all physiological processes occurring within the body. For example, "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains and 1.2mg of vitamin C which can aid in iron absorption and plays a role in collagen formation. A healthy balanced diet with plenty of wholegrains, vegetables and fruits will ensure you are receiving an adequate amount of vitamins to help your body perform at its best. Vitamins are micronutrients which are important for our bones, skin and organs. Plus, they play a significant role in resistance to infections and diseases.

Furthermore, we can categorize vitamins into water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins as the name suggests dissolve in water, because of this they cannot be stored in the body and need to be consumed regularly. The B group vitamins are an example of water-soluble vitamins. The B group vitamins are B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6 and B12. "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains thiamin (B1) 0.16mg, riboflavin (B2) 0.11mg, niacin (B3) 7.4mg, pantothenic acid (B5) 0.88mg, B6 0.398mg and B12 0.33μg. These vitamins are responsible for releasing and producing energy, building proteins and cells.

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored within the body and are not excreted as easily as water-soluble vitamins; this is due to their inability to be absorbed in water. The bodies’ ability to store fat-soluble vitamins allows them to be released into circulation when required, aiding in numerous bodily functions including bone formation, vision and blood coagulation. However, this also means they are able to reach toxic levels if over consumed, for example when consuming supplements unnecessarily or in high doses.

In particular, "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" contains no vitamin A

Also Vitamins such as D and E are responsible for several functions of our body and help vitamin A with their action. For example, Vitamin D aids in for bone formation and Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and is critical for nerve and muscle function.

Our bodies are very efficient at regulating internal stores of vitamins, a balanced healthy diet should provide you with sufficient vitamins. Supplements are generally unnecessary unless you are deficient in a specific vitamin or mineral. Without a diagnosed deficiency you should generally avoid vitamin supplementation as certain vitamins can accumulate to dangerous levels and have adverse side effects.

Fats

Fats are essential for normal body functioning and well-being. Omega-3 fatty acids and DHA support brain development and can support weight loss. In terms of fats, omega-3s are especially important, and some studies suggest that they can help to alleviate depression. First of all, you can gain calories from a variety of nutrients which are important for our metabolism. In particular, the calories (302Kcal) that are contained in "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" are separated in calories from fat (178.29Kcal), from carbohydrate (60.36Kcal) and from protein (63.16Kcal). It also contains fatty acids which can be categorized in fats (total) 19.81g, saturated fats 3.261g, polyunsaturated fats 5.61g, monounsaturated fats 8.134g, omega3 fatty acids 0.29g, omega6 fatty acids 5.1g and trans (total) fatty acids 0.11g. Omega-3s can be found in salmon and other fatty fish, and they're also found in eggs.

You may have heard the old saying that fewer legs means meat is better for you. In general, fish and poultry are better than red meat. This is because many animal fats contain saturated fat, saturated fats can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. When reading labels, the best fats are non-trans fats, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats.

It may be daunting to tackle food labels when you're unfamiliar with them, but a little research goes a long way when it comes to revolutionizing your diet. With some work, you'll be feeling (and looking) better in no time.

"McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" Categories & Pros/Cons

"McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" belongs to the "Fast Foods" category. In addition, it's low in sugar.

How to burn 302 calories

Everyone's metabolism is responsible for converting food into energy. Being a natural process of our body, metabolism is better activated by exercise for burning calories. Some factors which define this process are body structure, sex and age.

For example a 30 year old male about 176 lb and 5 feet & 10 inches according to "Centers for Disease Control & Prevention", can burn the 302 calories received by consuming "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" by running (7 mph) for 20 minutes or walking (3 mph) for 52 minutes or swimming (moderate) for 37 minutes or cycling (13 mph) for 26 minutes or playing basketball (on 1/2 court) for 28 minutes.

On the other hand, a 30 year old female about 150 lb and 5 feet & 6 inches according to "Centers for Disease Control & Prevention", can burn the 302 calories received by consuming "McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets" by running (6 mph) for 26 minutes or walking (3 mph) for 61 minutes or swimming (moderate) for 44 minutes or cycling (13 mph) for 31 minutes or dancing (modern) for 45 minutes.

In conclusion, exercising and eating fewer calories are a good combination for losing weight and gaining a healthy way of living.