America’s Most Unhealthy Fast Food Burger Isn’t McDonald’s, According to New Study

Find out which one tops the list.

Start cheering McDonald’s fans because it turns out that one of the world’s most successful fast food chains isn’t actually home to the most unhealthy fast food burger in America (like many might assume). The restaurant garnered a cult-like following for a reason. The food is quick, affordable, and all-around versatile—plus, you can't beat the fries.

Yet, the chain’s constant influx of customers doesn’t mean that the brand has ever claimed to be incredibly health-conscious. Big Macs have been put under the caloric microscope for years, with one standard Big Mac consisting of 550 calories, per McDonald’s nutritional information.

So, how does McDonald’s—known for its indulgent menu items—stack up against other to-go burgers in America health-wise? The fast food restaurant has loads of competitors, and thanks to a new study, we now have some answers.

Five Guys Sells the Most Unhealthy Burger

According to a recent study performed by PlushCare, Five Guys takes the cake (or, in this case, burger) when it comes to being the "most unhealthy" amongst a list of 16 popular chains. Using each restaurant's nutritional menus, the burgers were rated on a point system that took into account the amount of energy (calories), total sugar, saturated fat, and sodium that each one contained. In layman's terms, you don’t want higher points.

Five Guys’ cheeseburger received the highest points, coming in with an "Unhealthiness Score" of 50, carrying 73 percent more saturated fat than any other fast food cheeseburger in this roundup, the study claims. Five Guys is then followed by Whataburger’s Jalapeño & Cheese, SmashBurger’s Classic Smash, Carl’s Junior’s Famous Star with Cheese, and Sonic’s Cheeseburger, in that order.

You may be surprised to learn that McDonald’s wasn’t even in the top 10 list of most unhealthy burgers. The restaurant’s classic cheeseburger actually tied with Burger King’s cheeseburger for fourteenth place, each with a total score of 18.

The "winner," or least unhealthy, on the list? Culver's beloved ButterBurger. No wonder it's a favorite of professional chefs.

McDonald’s McChicken Sandwich Is the Least Unhealthy

In another win for McDonald’s, the McChicken reigns as the least unhealthy chicken burger from a fast food chain in America (though we still prefer to make them at home).

In this portion of the study, the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich earned the most points. Its chicken nuggets were named the most unhealthy in that category as well. But, hey, at least Popeyes has great taste in its corner.

Mickey D's also took top honors (or we should say, were the least unhealthy) for its McNuggets and Vanilla Shake. Fry lovers, don't worry, McDonald's iconic red box came in second for least unhealthy, just behind In-N-Out. Coincidentally, Five Guys had the most unhealthy French fries to go along with its burger, too.

The Bottom Line

All in all, the study states, "McDonald’s is the least unhealthy fast food chain—but only as long as diners don’t pile their tray high." It further notes that around half of Americans are trying to eat more consciously. As far as we're concerned, we'll take all the food news we can get to help us make informed decisions—and there's always a time and place for our drive-thru favorites.

Read the original article on All Recipes.