McDonald's Egg McMuffin Vs Burger King's Croissan'wich: Which Is Healthier?

Fast food breakfast sandwiches might not be the epitome of healthy, but that doesn't mean their nutritional composition is unimportant. Many people have health-related dietary needs or are reaching for specific nutritional goals, and not all breakfast sandwiches are built the same. A comparison of the Egg McMuffin from McDonald's and the Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Croissan'wich from Burger King is one such example. Although they are nutritionally similar and both can be part of a healthy diet in moderation, the Egg McMuffin is slightly healthier. It's also the healthiest breakfast item you can buy at McDonald's right now.

The Egg McMuffin consists of an English muffin, American cheese, an egg, and Canadian bacon. The Croissan'wich also features an egg and American cheese, but comes with a croissant instead of the muffin, and crispy bacon strips instead of the Canadian variety. These swaps create the biggest nutritional differences between the two. 

American bacon comes from pork belly, which is a fatty cut of meat, while Canadian bacon is sourced from the pig's back, so it's leaner. As a result, the Egg McMuffin has 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, and zero trans fat. The Croissan'wich contains 21 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, and 1 gram of trans fat. Meanwhile, Burger King's croissant lists butter as the third ingredient, likely contributing to the higher fat content. McDonald's English muffin is mostly made from enriched flour, water, yeast, and cornmeal.  

The Egg McMuffin has other nutritional aspects that make it slightly healthier than the Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Croissan'wich. The McMuffin's sodium content is 770 milligrams, while in the Croissan'wich has 810 milligrams. Given that the American Heart Association recommends keeping the daily sodium intake at 1,500 milligrams (or less) per day, both sandwiches can be considered high in sodium. However, those 40 milligrams of difference may be the deciding factor for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.

McDonald's breakfast sandwich also comes with 17 grams of protein, although the Croissan'wich is not far behind with 15 grams (adding a sausage patty is the easy Burger King ordering trick to load a breakfast sandwich with more protein). If you're concerned about cholesterol, the Croissan'wich actually has 245 milligrams to the Egg McMuffin's 250 milligrams, but they're both high in cholesterol nonetheless. The Croissan'wich brings in an extra gram of fiber as well — 3 grams to the Egg McMuffin's two.

As you can see, the nutritional compositions of the two sandwiches don't diverge dramatically. Which one is healthier for you might depend on your individual dietary needs, but taking nutrition as a whole into consideration, the Egg McMuffin wins on account of its lower fat and sodium content. If you want to add vegetables and protein to the Egg McMuffin for a more balanced sandwich, order it Norwegian-style and never go back.