McDonald’s calories: How much do you really want to know?

McDonald’s will soon begin posting calorie counts at its more than 14,000 U.S. locations, both on the menu board inside the fast-food restaurant as well as on the drive-through menu.

That means customers will soon be face to face with the fact that a large order of those crispy, salty, golden brown slivers of deep-fried goodness will pack on 500 calories.

Our sister blog, Money & Co., reports that the menu change comes as “diners increasingly demand more healthful dietary options and nutritional disclosures.”

QUIZ: Whopper? Frosty? A calorie-count test

We buy the part about healthful dietary options. But do you really want to know the cold-hard facts about fast-food calories? Or do you just want to eat those French fries in peace? Take our poll, and tell us.

Whether you like those calorie counts or not, they’re here to stay. Impending regulation will require other chains do the same.

McDonald’s move is likely to encourage other competitors to soon follow suit. And the burger chain is trying to develop a new fleet of menu options for folks looking for more healthful fare.

“We’ve made a lot of good progress toward our nutrition commitments and we recognize there’s still more to do,” Dr. Cindy Goody, McDonald’s senior director of nutrition, said in a statement.

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