I think most of us instinctively know that a Big Mac is not exactly going to be healthy for you. But how does it stack up against a Large Traditional steak pasty from the West Cornwall Pasty Company? I suspect that many of us think of the pasty as a slightly healthier alternative. As a lover of Cornwall and Cornish culture it pains me to say this, but the results are not good:
Typical Values | Units | Per Big Mac | Big Mac & Large Fries | Per Pasty |
---|---|---|---|---|
Energy | kCal | 490 | 950 | 1040 |
Protein | g | 28 | 33 | 36.3 |
Carbohydrates | g | 41 | 101 | 94.5 |
of which Sugars | g | 8 | 9 | 4.2 |
Fat | g | 24 | 47 | 57.5 |
of which Saturated | g | 10 | 12 | 24.2 |
Fibre | g | 4 | 10 | 6 |
Salt | g | 2.1 | 3 | 5 |
The large pasty has over twice the calories, over twice the saturated fats and over twice the salt content of the Big Mac. Even once you add in a large fries, the pasty comes off worse.
No surprises then that it’s surprisingly difficult to get access to the nutritional information for the West Cornwall Pasty Co. I had to email them to find this out.
Edit: If you ever want to find a gluten free pasty in Cornwall, check out Harbour Lights in Coverack.