McDonald’s is known throughout the world for its fast food creations like the Big Mac, the McFlurry, and the Filet-O-Fish. It’s known for its salty, addicting french fries and its red-headed clown mascot named Ronald McDonald. It’s known for its golden arches and dependable convenience no matter where you are. The burger conglomerate is known for many, many things…but there’s one thing it’s not known for: being a particularly diet-friendly establishment.
Regardless of its extensive menu, there are surprisingly few choices that fit various dietary lifestyles, whether you’re vegan, keto, or gluten-free. There are always ways to work with the menu and customize accordingly, but if you have certain restrictions your options may be on the slim side at the McDonald’s drive-thru.
If you live a paleo lifestyle, you’ve got a little more luck than most, since this is a fast food chain that was essentially built on meat. Also referred to as the caveman diet, the paleo diet that emphasizes the whole foods hunted and gathered by early humans: lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, seeds, and nuts.
While fast food in general doesn’t necessarily fly on the paleo diet (there were no burger joints or drive-thrus in the Paleolithic Era, after all) – you can find some paleo-friendly ingredients at McDonald’s if you’re looking for the occasional indulgence or some quick sustenance on the go. Here’s everything you can order on the current McDonald’s menu that’ll (technically) fit a paleo lifestyle.
Paleo food and drink items available on the McDonald’s menu
While the paleo diet focuses on leaner meats like chicken and fish, it does also allow for the occasional red meat consumption – the key is that the meat is not overly processed. So beef (or say, a hamburger patty) will technically pass the paleo test, while meats like bacon or sausage are better avoided. And eggs are fair game, too, which luckily most McDonald’s locations will be able to provide a-la-carte.
But there are few main food groups or ingredients to watch out for at a place like McDonald’s, which will unfortunately limit your options if you follow the paleo diet. Grains like wheat (aka pretty much all bread), dairy products (aka milk and cheese), added sugar (aka all sweets), and even starchy vegetables like potatoes (aka french fries) are all no-gos. And since processed foods and oils like canola, sunflower, and soybean are to be avoided as well, that eliminates a lot that McDonald’s has to offer – including anything that’s breaded or fried, like chicken nuggets or hash browns.
However, there are a few things you can order or put together with the right modifications that will make for a paleo-friendly meal or snack next time you find yourself in the McDonald’s drive-thru. Here’s the full list for all of the paleo people out there.
| Breakfast Items | Required Modifications |
| Side of egg | |
| Lunch + Dinner Items | Required Modifications |
| Hamburger | No bun No ketchup |
| Double Cheeseburger | No bun No ketchup No cheese |
| McDouble | No bun No ketchup No cheese |
| Big Mac | No bun No Big Mac sauce No cheese |
| Quarter Pounder with Cheese | No bun No ketchup No cheese |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese | No bun No ketchup No cheese |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe | No bun No ketchup No mayo No cheese |
| Sides | Required Modifications |
| Apple Slices | |
| Sauces + Condiments | Required Modifications |
| Honey | |
| Mustard | |
| Beverages | Required Modifications |
| Premium Roast Coffee | |
| Iced Coffee | No cream No liquid sugar |
| Americano | |
| Hot Tea | |
| Unsweetened Iced Tea | |
| Honest Kids Appley Ever After Organic Juice Drink | |
| Minute Maid Orange Juice |
No, while some allow for potatoes on the paleo diet, the general consensus is that starchy or high-carb vegetables are to be avoided. And since McDonald’s fries are cooked in a canola-blend oil, they are not considered paleo-friendly.
The only meats that are technically paleo-friendly at McDonald’s are the hamburger patties, which are ground beef. None of the chicken or fish choices are paleo-friendly, since they are all breaded and fried, and since meats like bacon and sausage are processed these are frowned upon on the paleo diet.
Unfortunately McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets are not paleo-friendly; while chicken is an acceptable lean meat on the paleo diet, the nuggets at McDonald’s are both breaded and deep-fried in a vegetable oil blend which means they are not suitable for a paleo diet.
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