Toots & Trots
Check a food

Eating out / McDonald's NZ

How to order at McDonald's NZ

The gentlest way through, on our model

  • The main thingHamburger5.8/10
  • To drinkBottled water0.0/10

The rough end

  • Big Mac— it's the fermentable carbs — the wind side8.8/10
  • Orange juice— it's what loosens things off7.3/10
  • Thickshake, medium— it's what loosens things off7.2/10
We're not saying one item is better for you than another. We're saying what our model scores from the ingredients each company publishes. GASP estimates how likely a food is to give you wind, urgency or loose output — which isn't the same thing as healthy.

If you're choosing a main

3.0 between the gentlest and the roughest

  • HamburgerGentlest here5.8/10

    burger bun, burger patty, tomato sauce, mustard, gherkins

    Their list268 kcal (their figure)110 g

  • Cheeseburger5.8/10

    burger bun, burger patty, processed cheese slice, tomato sauce, mustard

    Their list315 kcal (their figure)124 g

  • Big Mac8.8/10

    burger bun, burger patty, processed cheese slice, mayonnaise, iceberg lettuce

    Their list215 g

If you're getting a drink

7.3 between the gentlest and the roughest

  • Bottled waterGentlest here0.0/10

    water

    Inferred0 kcal (our estimate)

  • Diet Coke, medium4.0/10

    diet cola

    Inferred8 kcal (our estimate)

  • Coke, medium6.8/10

    cola

    Inferred168 kcal (our estimate)

  • Thickshake, medium7.2/10

    milkshake

    Inferred

  • Orange juice7.3/10

    orange juice

    Inferred141 kcal (our estimate)

What to ask them to change

Things a person can really request at the counter.

  • Ask for no onion powderon the hamburgerpublished as 'Water, Dehydrated White Onions' — dried, not fresh
  • Ask for no processed cheese sliceon the cheeseburgerthe only difference from the Hamburger
  • Ask for no onion powderon the cheeseburger
  • Ask for no onion powderon the big macsame dehydrated onion as the other burgers

How sure we are about these

Inferred from the menu
This company publishes nutrition and allergens but not a full ingredient list, so the components come from the item's own name. Less certain.
From their ingredient list
Scored from the components this company publishes on its own website, at the serve weight they give.
  • Bottled water: Nought out of ten is what our model measures — water has nothing in it to ferment, irritate or leave residue. That isn't the same as it being the answer to hydration. With a pouch or an ostomy, plain water is absorbed poorly and drinking a lot of it can pass straight through, taking salt with it and leaving you more short than you started. A drink with some salt and sugar in it is absorbed better. Worth asking your stoma or pouch nurse what suits you.
  • Big Mac: The special sauce is scored as mayonnaise. Its own ingredient panel lazy-loads and wasn't captured, so this one is a step less certain than the Hamburger and Cheeseburger.

Sources: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Big Mac · checked 2026-08-27

Somewhere else

KFC NZSubway NZDomino's NZChinese takeawayThaiMexicanNZ takeawayPizza shopIndian takeaway

Written and checked from lived experience with a J-pouch. Last updated August 2026. The GASP Score is a modelled estimate, not medical advice — always work alongside your own clinical team.