Eating out at fast food restaurants can be convenient, but it’s important to pay attention to nutrition information like calorie counts. This helps you make informed choices and balance your daily calorie intake. One popular fast food chain in the southern United States is Whataburger. If you’re wondering about the calorie count of a Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal, here’s a breakdown.
What’s in a Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal?
A Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal typically consists of:
- Avocado Bacon Burger
- Medium fries
- Medium soft drink
Let’s look at each item individually to get a sense of the total calorie count for the full meal.
Avocado Bacon Burger
The Avocado Bacon Burger at Whataburger features a 100% beef patty topped with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a toasted five-inch bun. Here are the nutrition facts for just the burger:
- Calories: 670
- Total fat: 36g
- Saturated fat: 14g
- Trans fat: 1.5g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
- Sodium: 1240mg
- Total carbs: 46g
- Dietary fiber: 4g
- Sugars: 9g
- Protein: 39g
As you can see, just the Avocado Bacon Burger alone contains 670 calories. That’s already a significant chunk of the recommended daily calorie intake for many people.
Medium fries
Whataburger’s medium french fries come in at:
- Calories: 380
- Total fat: 19g
- Saturated fat: 3.5g
- Trans fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 270mg
- Total carbs: 51g
- Dietary fiber: 4g
- Sugars: 2g
- Protein: 5g
A medium serving of fries adds another 380 calories to your meal.
Medium soft drink
The final component of the standard Avocado Bacon Burger meal combo is a medium soft drink, which could be around 20-32 ounces. Here are the nutrition facts for a 32 oz or “large” soft drink at Whataburger:
- Calories: 310
- Total fat: 0g
- Saturated fat: 0g
- Trans fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 75mg
- Total carbs: 83g
- Dietary fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 83g
- Protein: 0g
Just the soft drink alone tacks on an extra 310 calories to your meal.
Total calories in a Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal
Now that we’ve looked at the calorie counts for each item, let’s add them up to get the total for the full Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal:
| Item | Calories |
|---|---|
| Avocado Bacon Burger | 670 |
| Medium fries | 380 |
| Medium soft drink | 310 |
| Total | 1360 |
The total calories in a Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal with medium fries and a medium soft drink comes out to 1360 calories.
That’s a pretty hefty meal when you consider the recommended daily calorie intake is around 2000-2500 calories for an average adult. The Avocado Bacon Burger meal alone makes up over half of that.
Ways to reduce the calorie count
If you want to enjoy an Avocado Bacon Burger without consuming quite as many calories, there are some tweaks you can make:
- Opt for small fries instead of medium (190 calories)
- Choose a small soft drink rather than medium (around 150 calories)
- Order a diet soft drink to eliminate calories from sugary beverages (0-5 calories)
- Skip the soft drink and have water instead (0 calories)
- Order the burger without mayo to cut out about 90 calories
Making a few substitutions like these can bring down the total calorie count substantially. You can also balance out the meal by adding lower calorie side items like apple slices (80 calories).
It’s also helpful to pay attention to the timing of when you eat a higher calorie meal. Having it for lunch when you’re more active rather than later at night can allow you to burn off the calories more effectively.
Nutrition tips for fast food meals
To make informed choices when eating fast food, keep these general nutrition tips in mind:
- Check calorie counts online or in the restaurant before ordering
- Aim to limit sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and added sugars
- Choose grilled chicken and fish options when available
- Opt for smaller sizes like kids meals
- Add more vegetables and fruits as side items
- Stick to water, low-fat milk or unsweetened drinks
- Watch portion sizes of fries, chips and other sides
- Split larger meals or take half home for later
With some planning and balanced choices, you can enjoy fast food like Whataburger in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet.
Conclusion
A Whataburger Avocado Bacon Burger meal with medium fries and a medium soft drink contains a sizable 1360 calories. If you’re looking to lower the calorie count, customize your order with smaller sizes, diet drinks, less condiments, or healthier sides. When eating fast food, be mindful of nutrition numbers like calories, and balance it out with other meals and snacks throughout your day.
