How to eat plant based healthy food at McDonald's

Huh? McDonald's? Healthy? Plant based? Have you lost your mind?

I know the above is exactly what y'all are thinking as you read the title of this post and no, I am not out of my mind when I say that eating healthy plant based food at McDonald's is possible. Just please hear me out, okay? I think you'll be enlightened.

I didn't know it either until I went to McDonald's this morning. My mom and a friend of ours (both not vegan) wanted McDonald's for breakfast this morning so we went to a local McDonald's and went through the drive through. We were wondering what I would be able to eat. I knew the hash browns and apple slices would be fine and I would definitely be willing to go with that but when we communicated my needs to the employee taking our order, he came up with another idea but I won't spoil it. You'll find out more as you read this post.

French fries and hash browns are vegan. This is not the case everywhere but at McDonald's, it definitely is!

So are the apple slices. Apparently they also have mini oranges. Both are obviously vegan. No explanation needed there.

The surprise: Oatmeal! I didn't know McDonald's had oatmeal and this is what the employee taking our order suggested I try. But they make it with dairy by default, so ask that it be made with water instead. It comes with diced apples and dried cranberries on it as well! I had this along with the aforementioned hash browns that came with my mom's and our friend's meals that they didn't want, and it makes for a wonderful fall breakfast. Apparently McDonald's is serving breakfast all day now so if you're ever on a road trip or stranded in an airport and you need vegan food, it's helpful to remember this as a meal option in such cases because pretty much anywhere you go that's not the woods, there is going to be a McDonald's that's not out of reach.

Side salad. At only 15 calories, this will not be very filling but it is vegan and perhaps their only thing (other than apples and oranges) that's fully raw. I'm not sure which dressings are vegan though.

Apple pie. Bear in mind that this is probably not the healthiest but I do encourage an occasional treat. Even still, I wouldn't get their apple pie because I'm gluten free but if gluten is not an issue for you, this is a vegan treat option for you.

In conclusion, if you can eat healthy plant based food (even a full meal!) at McDonald's, you can get your hands on a healthy plant based meal or snack anywhere. If you have other ideas of vegan food at McDonald's or you'd like me to do posts like this about any other chain restaurant, please let me know in the comments.

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