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McDonalds Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken
By: Tanya Taylor, PhD | May 21, 2006
Not only do you get the salad, but, for a limited time, if you buy water (an extra $1.00) or a medium soda, you get also get a free 15 minute workout DVD. At first glance, the nutrition of McDonald's Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken doesn't seem too bad. There are 290 calories in the is huge salad, 31 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, which is 22% of the recommended daily amount. There is also 130% of the RDA for vitamin A, 90% of vitamin C, 20% iron and 15% calcium. But look closer, and there are some not-so-good nutrition facts. There are 10 grams of fat (15% of the recommended daily amount), although only 1 gram is saturated fat, 65 mg of cholesterol which is 21% of the RDA, 890 mg of sodium (37% of the RDA), and 12 grams of sugars. Overall, I really liked this salad. It's tasty, although I could do without all the sodium and also a little less fat (would you believe that 6 out of the 10 grams of fat came from the almonds). The cost was $4.69 for just the salad, which is about the same as the cost of one of their sandwiches. Taste:
 Nutrition:
 Price:
Overall:
Comments
Mon: May 22, 2006
tanya [admin] said: I didn't even know Wendys had an Asian salad Marvo. I usually stick to the cheap stuff at Wendy's - baked potato, side salad and water ($2.00)! But I'll look out for it next time. You seem to go to the fast food restaurants often Marvo - I'm going to assume it's research for reviews at your website :0)
Mon: May 22, 2006
Abi said: Ooh. I'm so glad you reviewed this. I was going to take the plunge this week and now I'm confident I won't be throwing away my money. I'm hoping that the edamame in this is good and it starts a nation-wide edamame craze. I love the stuff and it is great for you! Mmmm, steamed soybeans with a light sprinkle of sea salt.
Mon: May 22, 2006
Sarah said: $4.69? Holy shit. No I don't think I would buy this, maybe, erm...not likely. You can get a McChicken, and a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait, and a diet soda. Of course, that is 530 calories.
Tue: May 23, 2006
Mandy said: Any idea how many calories the almonds are? I had the salad and only used a little dressing and no almonds. Made for a good and healthy meal! I hope I spared some calories by not using the almond packet. I was pretty impressed with the price...at work I will get Steak Escape's big chicken salad and it costs 6.60! So to me this is a good deal.
Wed: May 24, 2006
Ron W said: Both my wife and I love this salad. I don't like the sodium level but being the fat content comes from almonds, it can't be all that bad, can it? We think it's a bargain but in our area the price is closer to $6.50, not $4.50.
Sat: June 3, 2006
Steve said: This is much tastier than Wendy's Mandarin Chicken I liked so long. I think I've switched. Better nutrition, taste and it seems bigger. I really like these.
Fri: June 9, 2006
Genesis said: I love McDonald's Asian salad...I haven't tried the Wendy's asian salad. I don't use the almonds so that's good that I'm only getting 4 grams of fat instead of 10...maybe McDonald's will do something about the high sodium..but I love it. I usually eat about 4 a week for lunch or dinner...its very filling!
Fri: June 9, 2006
pat said: If you are trying to cut calories and/or fat, you'd be better off ditching the chicken and keeping the almonds. The fat in soybeans and almonds is the good kind, and they are packed with antibiotics and hormones like chicken. Plus they are high in protein, especially edemame!
Sat: June 10, 2006
craig said: You can buy the Asian Salad without the chicken. Less calories, and about a 1 buck cheaper
Tue: June 13, 2006
Rachel said: I usually HATE salads- they either taste horrible or are packed with the fatenning stuff I'm trying to avoid. However, the McDonald's Asian salad is the ONLY salad I've ever ate and then wanted again. Even though it is healthy for you, eating it was a pleasure... which I usually don't say about eating a salad. The price is a little high but what you are paying for is a meal (it is the same as you'd pay for a burger and fries). You really don't feel like you're cheating yourself by eating this salad instead of having a burger!!!
Mon: June 19, 2006
Terri said: I have tried both McDonald's and Wendy's Asian salads (more than tried---I was hooked on Wendy's til I tried McD's and now I eat that a few times a week). ....both pretty good I think, but Wendy's doesn't have lo-fat dressing and that adds a TON of fat and calories compared to the McD's version. Not really on a diet but like to sort of watch it. After being a daily burger and fries muncher I feel so much less guilt. The Wendy's salad has about as much fat as a Big Mac...but it HAS to be more nutritious! I also tend to not eat the whole salad at either place. Which saves some fat and calories.
Wed: June 28, 2006
karen said: Don't sweat the fat from the almonds. They are very healthy - even weight watchers recommends you eat 11 almonds a day!
Fri: July 7, 2006
Linda said: I like salads some not real often though BUT this salad I can eat everyday - Its 290 calories won me over - Its so so so good! If your watching calories its helps even more - Thanks and May God Bless You!
Wed: July 19, 2006
Lito said: wow... all this praise for the McAsian salad has convinced me to give it another shot. The one I tried had limp greens that tasted like they were *almost* frozen at some point. The same for the 3 mandarin orange slices I found lurking below. The chicken was so salty, I thought it was a McFish. The edamame was in good shape and thank goodness for the almonds or there would've been zero crunch! I'm going to chalk it up to a possible "off" day and try it again at a different location. (I'll be sure to return with an update ;-)
Fri: September 1, 2006
LIsa said: I tried the Asian salad today & loved it. I usually don't like salad but the sweetness of the oranges & the tasty chicken & sauce made it all worth while
Sun: November 5, 2006
Anonymous said: all of you guys are FATTIES, fast food is the worse thing for you! LAZY FAT A**ES!
Sun: November 5, 2006
Anonymous said: all of you guys are FATTIES, fast food is the worse thing for you! LAZY FAT A**ES! do exercise!!! EAT ORGANIC THINGS! pigs!
Fri: January 19, 2007
Pat said: I tried this Asian salad yesterday. It was good. Mine had no almonds in it. I thought the chicken was really moist and tasty. I really like Wendy's better. Probably the dressing!
Mon: January 28, 2008
andrea said: i have been eating about 1 a day for the past three months, i skip the almonds,eat very healthy the rest of the day and have went from a size 22 to a 14 in 3 months
Tue: February 26, 2008
em said: Salads are my mortal enemies. However, THIS salad is.. well, not. I LOVE this salad, and would eat it every week if I had the chance. If you want to cut out some of the calories and fat, skip some of the almonds. Yes, it's pretty high in salt, but I bet if you cut down on the chicken, it'd cut down on the salt a lot too. Just a thought.. although I'll have mine with all the included items, thank you very much. :o)
Tue: April 1, 2008
Patrick Murphy said: It's truly amazing how the majority of people just have no clue about nutrition. Fast Food is not healthy. The chicken is hormone induced, the salad is full of pesticides the orange glaze is high fructose corn syrup and the portion is out of control. Wake up people.
Wed: April 16, 2008
Someone said: I love the asian salad. And it's not just for people trying to diet, people just want to try eating a little bit healthier. And for all of you idiots who posted above about the fat, lazy a**es, GET A LIFE... YOU MEAN OLD BITTY... MAYBE YOU'RE SOO BITTER B/C YOU EAT ALL THAT ORGANIC S**T, lighten up and have a McDonald's Big Mac... why would you try to discourage people from doing something that works for them. I say that if they want to go to McDonald's a get a salad (yeah, it may not be the healthiest salad), but rather the salad than a Big Mac! Kudos to those of you who are TRYING! And shame on those of you who sit back and judge!
Fri: April 25, 2008
glogirl said: Everyone knows organic is best - but cumon' we live in U.S. and food prices are getting higher as we speak. Talking nasty doesn't usually persuade anyone in a good direction.I love salads. McD's Asian salad is very good. DO NOT take out the almonds - they are packed with good Omega 3's. Better off removing the chicken. Could try getting without the dressing and adding your own olive oil/lemon juice dressing if you are really stuck on that. There are a whole lot of things a whole worse to eat than the Asian salad. Eat, enjoy,bless and be blessed!
Mon: April 28, 2008
Oliviaq said: I am trying to make my version of the McDs Asian salad tonight. I wish I had the soybeans, but I do have garbanzos. I love the salad at McDs.
Tue: April 29, 2008
Linda Joseph said: I tried the Asian salad yesterday it's great! I had to have another today actually I'm eating one right now and Im lovin it.
Sun: July 13, 2008
Sue F. said: The 290 calories for the Asian Salad, does this include the dressing and the almonds?
Fri: July 18, 2008
Kulana said: This salad is great!!! it was big and filling. As far as the sodium.. I wouldnt worry about that with this salad if your drinking alot of water all day! This is the best lunch/dinner from fast food! |
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After all the advertisements on the television for McDonald's Asian Salad, I had to go try it out for myself. The Asian chicken salad is, "a blend of crisp greens, orange glazed chicken (grilled or crispy), snow peas, edamame, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds." I had to look up 'edamame' since I had no clue what that was, but it turned out to be another name for soybean. The salad portion is quite big, and it was even filling enough for dinner (well, I am on a diet). Not only was it huge, but it was also very tasty. McDonald's uses some kind of sauce/dressing - orange glaze - to give the salad a sweet taste. This means that I didn't have to bother adding salad dressing (and extra calories). Every ingredient in this salad works well together. The soybeans look like beans, but they have a little crunch to them. The mandarin oranges were not very plentiful, but just enough to provide an extra sweet, fruity contrast. The grilled chicken breast fillet was very flavorful, as if it had been marinated. I would have to say I really enjoyed this salad, and I am not big on eating salads - especially by themselves.
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Marvo said:
The last time I went to McDonald's, I saw this on the menu. I thought about picking it up, but instead went for the Big Mac Value Meal. I'll probably have it for lunch today. Have you ever tried the Wendy's Asian Chicken Salad?