If you are trying to lower your sodium intake but eat frequently from the drive-thru it can be hard to find menu options without all the extra salt! While eating from home is the best way to control sodium intake, there are times where you might need to make a quick fast food stop when on the road.

Below are my top McDonald’s lower sodium meal ideas that you can enjoy the next time you visit the golden arches.

Is McDonald’s Healthy if I have high blood pressure?

The meal ideas in this post are only based on low sodium choices. They are not going to be rich in potassium, magnesium, and fiber which are some of the core nutrients to focus on when aiming to lower your blood pressure. McDonald’s does not have many fruit or vegetable choices. As of 2020, McDonald’s took salads off their menu which means that the only vegetable available is potato in the form of french fries.

As a Dietitian, I don’t recommend falling back on McDonalds as a healthy plan or something to eat daily. However, we always need backup options in our “toolbox” for when life gets crazy. I would rather help you find low sodium option instead of skipping a meal or ordering “whatever” because you ran out of time to pack a lunch.

Can I Eat Low Sodium at McDonald’s?

Yes you can! Keep in mind the meal contents will be limited and your order might need to be modified as McDonald’s does not have a low sodium menu. The American Heart Association recommends to keep sodium to no more than 2,300mg a day and ideally closer to 1,500mg a day (1). This means your meal should be between 500-760mg of sodium if you want to have a low salt meal.

While a lot of sodium are in the cheese and condiments, you can always bring your own Tabasco sauce for your sandwich or Mrs. Dash salt free seasoning for your fries.

Is there Anything Low Sodium at McDonald’s?

There are low sodium foods for each meal of the day on the menu. In addition to the ideas provided in this post, you can use the McDonald’s nutrition calculator to check the sodium content of favorite meal. You can also see the nutrition facts update when you remove an ingredient from your order to keep the items to be 760mg of sodium or less.

An insider tip is that you can order fries without salt. Granted, they are made in the same container as all the salted ones before, so there will be some residual salt but not as much as a regular fry order.

What Should you avoid at McDonald’s?

What surprised me most was that a single ketchup packet has just 90mg of sodium but the spicy buffalo sauce has over 500mg!

So aside from the spicy buffalo sauce, here are the other high sodium foods you should steer clear of:

BREAKFAST

1. Big Breakfast with hotcakes (2070mg)
2. Steak, egg and cheese bagel (1510 mg)

LUNCH/DINNER

1. BigMac (1060mg)
2. Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (1360mg)
3. Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese (1470mg)
4. Deluxe McCrispy (1060 mg)

Whats the Lowest Sodium Breakfast at McDonald’s?

The Fruit and Maple Oatmeal has the lowest amount of sodium with only 150mg (7% daily value).

The Egg McMuffin without the American cheese and no butter has the 2nd lowest amount of sodium with 540mg (24% daily value).

Whats the Highest Sodium Breakfast at McDonald’s?

Avoid the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes which has 2070mg of sodium and provides over 100% of your daily value for sodium (yikes! if that is just breakfast, you still have 2 other meals you need to eat).

What’s the Healthiest Item on the McDonald’s Menu?

The fruit and maple oatmeal is the healthiest item as it is not fried, breaded, or high in sodium. It also is high in fiber, low in calories and does not have a lot of added sugar.

The Strawberry Banana and Mango smoothie both are also healthy as they do not use any added sugar are not fried or high in salt.

How Much Sodium is in a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder?

The Quarter Pounder with cheese has 1140mg of sodium (50% daily value). If you leave off the cheese, the sodium drops to 730mg.

If you don’t care for the bun, leaving off the cheese AND bread will lower the sodium all the way to 470mg (20% daily value). Modifications make all the difference!

Low Sodium Meal Ideas at McDonalds

Breakfast:
1. Fruit Maple Oatmeal (140mg)
2. Strawberry Banana or Mango smoothie (40mg)
3. Egg McMuffin with no bacon or butter + orange juice or coffee (530mg)

Lunch/Dinner:
1. 6 piece Chicken Nuggets + Apple slices + small fry no salt (500mg)
2. Filet-O-Fish without cheese or tartar sauce + ketchup packet + mango smoothie (690mg)
3. McChicken sandwich + Apple slices + small fry no salt (560mg)
4. Classic hamburger + Apple slices + small fry without salt (700mg)

Sweets + Coffee:

1. Vanilla Cone (80mg)
2. Small McCafe Latte (90mg)
3. Low Fat Chocolate Milk Jug (85mg)
   

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While eating at home will allow you to have complete control over your sodium intake, you can find low sodium meal options at McDonalds if you are intentional about making some changes to your order. Don’t settle for a bland order, you can keep Tabasco packets or Mrs Dash salt free seasoning in your bag or purse to add some flavor to your meal.

If you found this post helpful- you will also love my list of Healthy Door Dash Options: Dietitian Approved Meals for Weight loss

Let me know if you have any low sodium McDonald orders that I didn’t include on my list- would love to hear about them!

Laurie Thenedy, RD

Laurie is a Registered Dietitian passionate about helping healthcare professionals lower their weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol so that they can regain confidence and energy to live a more full life.