The 40 piece Chicken McNugget is the most substantial meal available at McDonald’s, according to calorie counts published by the fast food chain. At 1,880 calories, enough energy is packed into 40 chicken nuggets to provide lunch for a family or group of friends, and close to the daily average recommended caloric intake for an individual. The Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and a large biscuit is second on the menu, with 1,310 calories. 
 
 24/7 Wall St. reviewed roughly 500 McDonald’s menu items, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, beverages, and sides, to determine the most calorie heavy options available at the fast food giant. Most of the highest calorie foods from McDonald’s are larger sandwiches such as the chicken club or large portion items such as the 40 piece Chicken McNugget. 
 
 The size of the item is not the only factor in its calorie count. The 16 ounce McFlurry with M&M’s contains 930 calories, and the Large Oreo Frappe contains 810. While each of these drinks is equal to roughly half the recommended daily intake of 2,000 to 2,800 calories, as beverages they might be only part of a much larger meal. One chicken sandwich, medium french fries, and a McFlurry — an entirely plausible lunch order at McDonald’s and likely one of three meals in a day — has well over 2,000 calories. 
 
 Click here to see the 50 McDonald’s menu items with the most calories. 
 
 McDonald’s meals have more calories than home-cooked meals and also food served at most non-fast food chains. But while the obesity epidemic in the United States is widely linked to high calorie consumption, no studies demonstrate a direct link between McDonald’s specifically and adverse health outcomes. Academic research does, however, show high concentrations of obesity and other negative health outcomes in areas where there are high concentrations of fast food restaurants of any type. 
 
 Calories represent the amount of energy a body can generate from a given portion of food. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are all processed by the body to generate energy, or calories. Therefore, since energy can come from different food sources with varying nutritional benefits, calories alone do not tell the full story. An item with relatively few calories, for example, may have more sodium than a higher-calorie alternative. With 630 calories, the Premium Grilled Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich provides what would constitute an ordinary meal in calorie count. With 1,740 milligrams of sodium, however, the sandwich has nearly the most sodium on the menu. 
 
 To identify the 50 McDonald’s menu items with the most calories, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed nutritional information for 500 menu items as listed on McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) website. For similarly branded items of equal caloric value — the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe, for example — only one item was considered. Fat and carbohydrates measured in grams and sodium measured in milligrams also came from McDonald’s. 
 
 These are the 50 most substantial McDonald’s menu items. ||||| Bloomberg News 
 
 As a part of its commitment, McDonald’s also will only advertise water, milk and juice for its kids’ Happy Meals. Photographer: Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg 
 
 McDonald’s Corp. (MCD:US), which sells 750-calorie Double Quarter Pounders with cheese, will start offering fruit, salads and vegetables instead of fries with value meals in a push to get its diners to make healthier choices. 
 
 The world’s largest restaurant chain also will only advertise water, milk and juice for its kids’ Happy Meals, according to a statement yesterday from the company and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a group founded by the Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association that works to reduce childhood obesity. They didn’t specify the type of vegetables available. 
 
 McDonald’s and rivals have been trying to shed their image as purveyors of fatty foods in a nation where about two-thirds of the population is considered overweight or obese. While the Oak Brook, Illinois-based fast-food chain in 2012 introduced a lower-calorie menu, Americans are loathe to eat their vegetables, Chief Executive Officer Don Thompson has said. 
 
 The changes announced yesterday are being made in 20 markets (MCD:US) globally including the U.S., Australia, Germany, France, the U.K. and China. They will start within three years and be effective in all 20 markets by 2020. 
 
 McDonald’s fell 1.1 percent to $97.12 at the close in New York. The shares have increased 10 percent this year, compared with 19 percent gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. 
 
 Salad Sales 
 
 At McDonald’s, salads make up about 2 percent to 3 percent of sales (MCD:US) at U.S. restaurants, Thompson said at an investor conference in May. The chain is focusing on selling beef, chicken, breakfast and drinks, he said. 
 
 “I don’t see salads being a major growth driver in the near future,” he said. 
 
 Fast-food chains are trying to balance selling calorie-laden fare with a few healthier options. While Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW:US) earlier this week added reduced-fat, reduced-calorie French fries to its menu, it also recently added buffalo chicken that has 940 calories in five strips and a burger topped with fries. 
 
 McDonald’s introduced a Favorites Under 400 Calories menu last year and this year started selling egg-white sandwiches. In the past month, however, it has been rolling out new items including fried chicken wings (480 calories for five pieces) and a 680-calorie steak, egg and cheese bagel. 
 
 “We want to make sure we provide you the options so you can come in and get whatever you want at McDonald’s,” Thompson said at the conference earlier this year. “So one day get that Big Mac; it’s only 540 calories. Another day, you might want to get that grilled chicken salad.” 
 
 McDonald’s has more than 34,700 restaurants worldwide, and 81 percent of those are franchised. 
 
 To contact the reporter on this story: Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net 
 
 To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net ||||| In a quest to reinvent its image, McDonald's is on a health kick. But some of its nutrient-enhanced meals are actually comparable to junk food, say some health experts. 
 
 One of new kale salads has more calories, fat and sodium than a Double Big Mac. 
 
 Kale, a leafy green vegetable chock-full of vitamins, has become a trendy superfood. In Canada, the global fast food chain recently tossed the green into a breakfast wrap and a line of salads. 
 
 McDonald's boasts on its site that the "Keep Calm, Caesar On" chicken salad contains "real parmesan petals" and "a nutrient-rich lettuce blend with baby kale." 
 
 But once you plop the accompanying Asiago Caesar dressing on the "crispy chicken" version, the salad's nutritional profile doesn't look so good. According to McDonald's own numbers, the salad tops up at 730 calories, 53 grams of fat, and 1,400 milligrams of sodium. 
 
 "Health-wise, I think it's fat and sodium overload," says Toronto registered dietitian, Shauna Lindzon. 
 
 It's hard to believe, but the Double Big Mac may be a healthier option than McDonald's Caesar salad on a number of fronts. (Philip Street/CBC) 
 
 You'd have to chow down three traditional McDonald's hamburgers to consume about the same number of calories. 
 
 A Double Big Mac actually has fewer calories and much less fat, although it does contain slightly more saturated fat. At 1,400 milligrams, the Caesar salad's sodium content also beats the burger's. 
 
 Health Canada recommends adults should not exceed 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily and ideally aim for 1,500 milligrams. 
 
 "By eating that salad, you're getting your sodium for the day," said Lindzon. Average adult women would also be getting about one third their recommended daily calories. 
 
 McDonald's kale kick 
 
 McDonald's made headlines last year when it announced it would be adding kale to menu items. The news came on the heels of lagging sales and a declaration by new CEO Steve Easterbrook that he planned to turn the chain into a "modern, progressive burger company." 
 
 Obesity expert Dr. Yoni Freedhoff says the chain is trying to appeal to consumers' need to "feel like they're not making such terrible choices." He adds, "Words like 'kale' can help do that." 
 
 But the Ottawa doctor says there's not much difference between a salad and a burger when both have similar salt and calorie content. 
 
 Lindzon applauds McDonald's for adding more vegetables to its meals. But the consulting dietitian says consumers still need to be aware of what they're eating. 
 
 "Putting kale into the menu doesn't mean you're getting a healthy choice," she says. 
 
 Count calories carefully 
 
 Even McDonald's lightest chicken kale salad is not a nutritional winner for Lindzon. 
 
 McDonald's I'm Greek-ing Out salad with kale. (McDonald's) 
 
 Combined with the Greek Feta Dressing, the "I'm Greek-ing Out" salad with grilled chicken amounts to: 420 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 1,080 milligrams of sodium. That's almost the same calorie, fat and salt content as a Double Cheeseburger. 
 
 To make it healthier, Lindzon recommends using only half the dressing to cut calories and fat and removing the feta to cut down on salt. 
 
 McDonald's says customers can modify many menu items to make them healthier. "[They] have the choice to have a salad with or without dressing, select a burger without the bun, choose their chicken protein crispy or grilled," said spokesperson Adam Grachnik in an email to CBC News. 
 
 He added customers can find nutritional information online including calorie, fat, and salt content for all menu items. 
 
 CBC News had to do some searching online to crunch the numbers for salads. Nutritional information for the kale salads excludes the dressing they're served with. We found the dressings in a separate category under "condiments." 
 
 Nutritious oatmeal? 
 
 CBC News also scoped out the nutritional profile for McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal with maple brown sugar. It's advertised on the company's site as "nutritious made delicious!" 
 
 The hot cereal does offer 5 grams of fibre. But, it also contains 33 grams of sugar. 
 
 McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal with maple brown sugar. (McDonald's) 
 
 Lindzon notes some of the sugar comes from fruit such as apples and dried cranberries. But she points out a can of Coke has close to the same total amount of sugar — 39 grams in a roughly 473 ml can. 
 
 "It's like drinking a can of pop's worth of sugar at breakfast," she says. 
 
 Grachnik, the McDonald's spokesman, noted that customers can eat the oatmeal without the brown sugar. 
 
 "Eating at McDonald's can fit into a balanced lifestyle," he said. Grachnik added that menu items can be customized. "You just have to ask the crew to reduce sodium, fat or calories to best suit the customers' needs," he stated. 
 
 Dr. Freedhoff says customers would be even better served if Canada forced restaurants to list calorie content right on its menus. 
 
 One province, Ontario, passed legislation mandating this for large chain restaurants. The new rules came into effect in 2017. 
 
 Dr. Freedhoff adds that no amount of public information can make up for the fact that restaurants typically don't serve up health food. 
 
 "There really aren't many safe things to order at any restaurant," he says. "If you want to learn how to eat healthy, eat out less often [and] learn how to cook."
– If you're eating at McDonald's, you probably aren't counting calories, but you might be surprised at which of the restaurant's menu items are most clogged with calories. Take the Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese, for example. It's one of the more substantial meals at McDonald's, per 24/7 Wall St., but at 780 calories, it doesn't even crack the top 10. Some of the heartiest options: 40 Chicken McNuggets: 1,880 calories Big Breakfast With Hotcakes: up to 1,310 calories with a large biscuit Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich: 990 calories 20 Chicken McNuggets: 940 calories 16oz. McFlurry With M&M's: 930 calories Large Chocolate McCafe Shake: 850 calories Click for the full list or the surprising stats of a McDonald's salad.