The Skinny on McDonald’s Shamrock Shake

St. Patrick’s Day – A day to indulge in your favorite beer (or beers), corned beef hash or McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes.

Whereas most items at The Golden Arches can be purchased all year long, the Shamrock Shake is only available during the month of March, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

So what exactly is the Shamrock Shake? It’s a light green shake with a mint-meets-vanilla taste. These seasonal shakes are a seriously hot commodity among milkshake connoisseurs. And since not all McDonald’s locations offer them, die-hard fans might themselves cruising around town to find one that does.

But taste aside, how does the Shamrock Shake stack up?

Here is the nutritional information for one 16-ounce shake.

Calories: 550
Total fat: 13 grams
Saturated fat: 8 grams
Trans fat: 1 gram
Carbohydrate: 96 grams
Protein: 13 grams

Keep in mind that the 16-ounce serving is a small. So if you want to lessen the damage of your St. Patrick’s Day indulgence, order a kid-sized. But if you crank up to a large, you’ll consume a whopping 1,100 calories!

And those eight grams of saturated fat in the small size is 40 percent of your recommended limit of the artery-clogging fat; not to mention the inclusion of a gram of the unhealthy trans fat.

I you must have your Shamrock Shake fix, check out the Hungry Girl’s recipe makeover of this green favorite. She creatively swaps reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, light soy milk and peppermint extract for a nearly guilt-free take on this seasonal treat.

Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

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