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The Burger Showdown

By Cristina Alesci and Kate Trafecante

Is Shake Shack high in protein? Does Five Guys use fillers? And how much salt is in that Big Mac special sauce? These companies all release nutrition information, but we wanted to test out how accurate they are for ourselves. For example, the independent food lab we used found the serving sizes were much smaller than advertised. But what else is different? CNNMoney teamed up with Eurofins Laboratories to find out what exactly is in your favorite burgers.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

How healthy is your favorite burger? From high-end to the dollar menu, this is the good, the bad and the ugly of fast food burgers.

Burger King Whopper

Protein

Whopper is the laggard here with the least amount. One of the biggest benefits of a burger. Protein helps you build and repair bones and muscles.

Cholesterol

The trade-off: Whopper also has the least cholesterol. High cholesterol can lead to heart problems.

Five Guys Hamburger

Protein

Ranks first with the most protein, which are full of amino acids the help build muscles and bones.

Sodium

Wins with sodium too. It has the lowest amount of salt. Our researchers said seasoning and sauces are responsible for salt, which can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems.

McDonald's Big Mac

Carbs

The king of carbs. The middle bun might increase starch but so can fillers. MCD might be using non meat products like rice, potato or bread to expand the size of the patty.

Sodium

Tops the list on sodium. Our researchers said seasoning and sauces are responsible for most of the salt, which can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems.

Shake Shack Shackburger

Trans Fat

By a margin, the highest in trans fat. Our researchers said this is the worst kind of fat. Unlike other fats, trans raises bad cholesterol and lowers good one.

Protein

A notch below Five Guys but still worth pointing out. Protein are full of amino acids the help build bones and muscles.

Wendy's Dave's Hot & Juicy

Unsaturated Fats

Wendy's ranks second in the "good" fat category. In moderation, these kinds of fat can help reduce cholesterol.

Carbs

The downside: Wendy's comes in second highest in carbs too. Wendy's might be using non meat products like rice, potato or bread to expand the size of the patty.

More Burgers

More Burgers