Five Guys Is The Unhealthiest Fast Food Cheeseburger, According To Study

Fast food has never had a reputation for being healthy. In many ways, the name itself contradicts the very notion. Nutritional woes aside, nothing soaks up six tequila shots like a fat and juicy hamburger with fries. PlushCare, a website that connects people in need with board-certified primary care physicians and licensed therapists, did a study to uncover the most unhealthy menu items in America’s food chains. There’s been a recent trend in fast food to offer healthier items in response to increased health awareness among consumers. According to The Washington Post, Salad and Go, a tech-forward chain in the Southwest, is the second-fastest-growing fast-food chain. 

Despite the trend, fast food is still primarily fried, whereas healthy items are mostly relegated to side options. For example, McDonald’s began cutting back on healthy options following the pandemic to streamline its menu. McDonald’s U.S. president, Joe Erlinger, told the Wall Street Journal Global Forum, “I don’t think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald’s looking for the McPlant or other plant-based proteins.”

To help you take more control over your nutrition, PlushCare compared 16 hamburgers from popular fast food restaurants. They additionally compared five classic fast food items across 24 popular chains. Menu items with similar ingredients, calories, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium were judged against the Department of Health’s nutrient profiling. Lastly, PlushCare gave each item a total “unhealthiness score” and ranked them in order. 

When it comes to fast food hamburgers, Five Guys ranked at #1 as the unhealthiest cheeseburger. It received 50 points on the unhealthiness score and even offers the least healthy fries. Scores are split between four categories: energy, fat, sugar, and sodium. Five Guys received the scores 12, 26, 1, and 11 respectively. By comparison, Whataburger ranked in at #2 with a 42 unhealthiness score: Energy (8), fat (12), sugar (2), and sodium (20). Despite its name, Culver’s Butterburger secured the lowest ranking, which makes it the healthiest fast food burger on the list. 

The study also covers chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, French fries, and vanilla shakes. One surprising find is that McDonald’s ranks as the healthiest fast food option in most match-ups. To learn more about which fast food spots rank as the unhealthiest, check out PlushCare’s study here.