Think you’re making the healthy choice? Think again!

During our Christmas road trip, my family and I stopped at a roadside services McDonald’s for lunch. Somehow, we managed to navigate the electronic menu, and the women in the family chose to have a salad because, you know, it’s the healthy option and we’d all over-indulged over the holiday.

But are these ‘healthy options’ actually healthy? They are still laden down with fat, salt and flavourings, and the actual salad part is pretty light on. At more than 700 kilojoules (for grilled chicken – we chose fried) a McDonald’s salad is unlikely to help anyone achieve their weight loss goals.

That said, Maccas has come under fire for it’s latest special, the Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken, which not only sullies the good reputation of the popular superfood, kale, but packs a whopping 22 grams of fat – in the dressing alone.

The salad features kale, crispy-skin chicken, bacon, Parmesan cheese and Asiago Caesar dressing, reports the Daily Mail.

All in all, the salad contains 730 calories (the average daily intake for women is around 2000 calories), that’s 200 more than a Big Mac and more than double the calories of two cheeseburgers.

It contains 53 grams of fat and 1400 milligrams of salt, around two-thirds the recommended daily intake.

Do you choose the healthy option at fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s? Do you think they should just stick to what they do best – or is it good to offer a ‘healthy’ option?