McDonald's launches new low calorie meals pairing nuggets and McMuffins with fruit and veg

The Golden Arches might have once been synonymous with burgers and chips but in a move to cater for its more health conscious customers McDonald’s has launched a selection of low calorie meals.

The low calorie meals are between 400 to 600 calories each and include a main, side and drink and come as either a breakfast or main meal.

The new menu isn't completely salad based either and iconic McDonald's dishes like the McMuffin, McNuggets and the Chicken Legend are now all offered as healthier alternatives meals instead of the likes of the Big Mac which boasts 540 calories per burger.

The new meal deals pair traditional McDonald's staples like McChicken Sandwiches and McMuffins with fruit bags and water.

According to McDonald’s the new low calorie meals achieve either green or amber on the Food Standard Agency traffic light system for fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Diners will now be able to pick up the likes of an Egg & Cheese McMuffin meal with fruit bag and water for only 332 calories or a Crispy Chicken Salad with Fajita Dressing meal, including fruit bag and diet drink, for around 320-329 calories.

McDonald's trialled the new menu in select outlets through December but have now rolled it out in 1,000 restaurants across the UK.

Only renovated 'Experience of the Future' restaurants - which feature tablet computers and table service - carry the low calorie bundles, but the menu is expected to reach the rest of the estate over the course of 2018.

The full list:

Breakfast Meal Bundles – Under 400kcals

Main

Side

Drinks Options

Total Calories *varies depending on drink choice

Egg & Cheese McMuffin

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Regular Tea

Water

338 kcal

362 kcal

338 kcal

332 kcal

Bagel with Philadelphia

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Regular Tea

Water

312 kcal

336 kcal

312 kcal

306 kcal

Porridge

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Regular Tea

Water

237 kcal

261 kcal

237 kcal

231 kcal

Main Meal Bundles – Under 400kcals

Main

Side Options

Drinks Options

Total Calories *varies depending on side & drink choice

The Garlic Mayo Chicken One – grilled wrap

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Medium Black Coffee

Regular Tea

Between

379-390kcal

The Sweet Chilli Chicken One – grilled wrap

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Between

374-383kcal

Grilled Chicken & Bacon Salad with Fajita Dressing

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Between

238-247kcal

Chicken McNuggets 6 pieces

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Between

293-304kcal

Fillet-O-Fish

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Between

363-374kcal

Crispy Chicken Salad with Fajita Dressing

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Between

320-329kcal

Main Meal Bundles – Under 600kcals

Main

Side Options

Drinks Options

Total Calories *varies depending on side & drink choice

Chicken Legend Spicy Mayo

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Between

553-588kcal

McChicken Sandwich

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Between

422-521kcal

Spicy Vegetable Deluxe

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Between

446-545kcal

The Garlic Mayo Chicken One – grilled wrap

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Sticks

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium White Coffee

Medium Black Coffee

Between

379-414kcal

Grilled Chicken & Bacon Salad with Fajita Dressing

Medium Fries

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Between

541-571kcals

Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon Wrap

Fruit Bag – Pineapple Stick

Carrot Stick

Side Salad with Fajita Dressing

Diet Drink

Water

Regular Tea

Medium Black Coffee

Medium White Coffee

Between

404-439 kcals

Strong results

The news comes after McDonald’s announced its Full Year results, which saw in the UK Q4 was the brand’s 47th consecutive quarter of growth.

Commenting on McDonald’s FY 2017 results, Paul Pomroy, UK CEO, said: “2017 was a strong year for our business during which we achieved 47 consecutive quarters of sales and guest count growth in the UK, serving over a billion customers.

“We are now into the final stretch of our restaurant transformation programme, Experience of the Future, with over 1000 restaurants converted – and together with our franchisees we are investing in the overall McDonald’s experience.

Pomroy added, “We continue to listen to our customers – they told us they want ultimate convenience and that’s what we offer, whether that’s through our digital self-order screens, the ease of table service, the handiness of a drive-thru or one of our 24 hour restaurants, click and collect via our app, or home service through McDelivery.”