What’s In a Shamrock Shake?

February 9, 2012 at 12:36 pm
By Christie Griffin

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Strupey

McDonald’s announced yesterday that—for the first time in its history—their annual Shamrock Shake will be available nationwide. Other than meaning that its cult-like following no longer has to track which of the locations offers the green concoction, this also means we’re all suddenly faced with yet another easily-accessible temptation! (Not that you should be frequenting fast food restaurants…)

Let’s break down what you’re in for if you consume the seasonal shake:

For a 16 oz. Shamrock Shake…

• 550 calories
• 16 grams of fat (8 of which are saturated, and 1 that’s trans fat)
• 96 grams of carbohydrates
• 72 grams of sugar
• 13 grams of protein (from the milk)
• 190 mg of sodium
• 3 oz. of leprechaun blood
• And then these ingredients for the special Shamrock Shake syrup: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural plant flavoring (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1.

Our recommendation: Make a low-calorie vanilla shake at home by using low-fat ice cream and skim milk, add a dash of peppermint extract, and then a couple drops of green food coloring.