# What's really in a Shamrock Shake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280 "2013-03-18T18:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/1 "2013-03-18T18:04:11Z")
I like 'em and was under no illusion that they were healthy, but great googly moogly, I don’t think I’ll ever look at one in quite the same way again: > **[A Guide To The Shamrock Shake](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shamrock-shake-calories-nutrition-ingredients-mcdonalds-st-patricks-day_n_2885415?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular)** > > The number of ingredients is staggering. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/2 "2013-03-18T18:14:24Z")
Doesn’t look all that scary to me. We are freaking out over a little seaweed/algae and artificial vanilla flavor? The yellow #5 is not great, but lots of processed foods have it. I still want one! ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/3 "2013-03-18T18:17:29Z")
Oh and the “What you could have instead column is misleading”. If you add all those together, you’re going to be WAY over the carbs and fat of the shake. Just one of those lines replaces the shake’s content for that specific ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/4 "2013-03-18T18:20:05Z")
The 800+ calories is far more disturbing than the ingredient list. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/5 "2013-03-18T18:23:09Z")
What’s in a Shamrock Shake is what’s in every other McDonald’s milkshake, except with different flavoring. Seriously, the milkshake base is identical for all of their shakes; they just add a different flavoring in to make chocolate or Shamrock or whatever. Plus green food coloring, I guess. Are people genuinely shocked that a big milkshake has a lot of calories in it? Were people ordering them under the impression that they were some kind of health food because they are green? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/6 "2013-03-18T18:24:16Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > …Were people ordering them under the impression that they were some kind of health food because they are green? You read the OP, right? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/7 "2013-03-18T18:26:18Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > You read the OP, right? I was responding more to **Telemark** ’s comment. But even the “exotic and obscure” ingredient list honestly shouldn’t be all that shocking to people, IMO. It’s not news that seaweed is used as thickener in a lot of processed food products, or that sulfites are, or that food dyes are, or whatever. I feel like these articles are just someone’s way of producing some cheap and easy content on a slow news day. “Anything happening? No? Well, go get the list of ingredients in a Shamrock Shake and put it in alarming font, maybe throw in some cancer warnings. That should rile people up for a couple of hours.” ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/8 "2013-03-18T18:33:45Z")
I heard Uncle O’Grimacey wasn’t really Irish. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/9 "2013-03-18T18:35:22Z")
A “Shamrock Shake” is just a standard McDonald’s vanilla shake with green dye. It’s a seasonal thing, sold only in the weeks right before St. Paddy’s Day. Unhealthy, yes, but no more so than any other shake served the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/10 "2013-03-18T18:37:35Z")
What do you want in it? Real rocks? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/11 "2013-03-18T18:39:00Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > A “Shamrock Shake” is just a standard McDonald’s vanilla shake with green dye. And mint flavoring. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/12 "2013-03-18T18:49:51Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > What do you want in it? Real rocks? Obviously not. They’re sham rocks. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/13 "2013-03-18T19:52:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I like 'em and was under no illusion that they were healthy, but great googly moogly, I don’t think I’ll ever look at one in quite the same way again: > > [Shamrock Shake: What's Really In McDonald's St. Paddy's Day Drink? | HuffPost Life](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/15/shamrock-shake-calories-nutrition-ingredients-mcdonalds-st-patricks-day_n_2885415.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular) Since McDonald’s is where I work, I will ask about how much longer they are to be available with St. Patrick’s Day being over now. To me, they taste like a cold Junior Mint. 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you always!!! Holly P.S. Tomorrow the Cherry Berry Chiller and the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade drinks are to be made available again…at least in my area anyways. 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/14 "2013-03-18T20:01:20Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Were people ordering them under the impression that they were some kind of health food because they are green? It’s been my experience that many McDonalds customers are about as thick as their shakes, both physically and mentally. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/15 "2013-03-18T20:06:47Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Are people genuinely shocked that a big milkshake has a lot of calories in it? I’m guessing that the majority of customers have no idea that there are the same number of calories in a shake as in \*two \*QuarterPounders. It’s not obvious, and it’s a very common problem with choosing a nutritious diet. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/16 "2013-03-18T20:12:24Z")
One thing that I have noticed about our menus lately is how the number of calories are there next to each item. Not to put down who ever came up with that idea of course, but to me, the number of carbs should be what it is up there because from what I have been told, a lot of carbs is what can really run up a person’s sugar level. God bless you always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/17 "2013-03-18T20:14:58Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Obviously not. They’re sham rocks. At least Ronald McDonald didn’t beat up a hooker. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/18 "2013-03-18T20:22:54Z")
A few week ago we thought we hit on a genius idea of combining two March favorites and made a Thin Mint Shamrock Shake in the blender. It was actually pretty awful. I think the two types of mint flavors don’t match correctly or something. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/19 "2013-03-18T20:49:01Z")
Meh. Nothing special in one, except the color. They’re still a great “once a year” treat. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280/20 "2013-03-18T20:51:35Z")
Was hoping for some Creme de Menthe. I guess not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-a-shamrock-shake/653280.md?page=2)