The Healthiest Food At Taco Bell
What do healthier choices mean? Let’s first consider that healthier and low-calorie labels do not necessarily mean healthier. The problem you find with meals and foods labeled healthy or low-calorie is that they are high in sodium or sugar. I am sorry to burst your balloon. It is true. However, you can find healthy options among those mouth-watering delicious unhealthy ones on the menu tempting your choices at Taco Bell.
The Truth About Low Calorie
Fast food restaurants are not going to put something on the menu that is not tasty. What you need to know is when you see a meal or product labeled low-calories, question the sodium. You can only consume 2300mg of sodium each day to maintain cellular balance. Consuming excessive sodium is unhealthy, and the same goes for consuming too much sodium in one meal. These famous online magazines and dieticians need to be more truthful rather than bend it. If a meal or food is labeled low calorie and low sodium, it is healthy for you. But most of the time, the market low-calories and forget to tell you about the excessive sodium in a meal. This is ironic for someone trying to maintain or lose weight because even though it is low-calorie, the high sodium will increase your weight because of water retention.
Too Much Sodium in One Meal
Firstly, you want your meal to have between 300-500mg per meal. Anything more than 500mg is unhealthy for your body. Your body needs sodium but it needs to be proportional in each meal throughout the day. Eating a meal with 1000mg of sodium is similar to overeating because your body will retain water and flush all the essential minerals, like potassium, out of your cells. It is too much to be processed at one time. Much like taking calcium each day, you don’t just take 1000mg at one time. It all gets flushed out from the body, 300mg every four hours is the best absorption rate. You see the point!
Delicious Healthy Choices At Taco Bell
Crunchy Taco
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 310 mg
Black Beans and Rice
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 4 grams
- Fat: 4 grams
- Carbs: 31 grams
- Sodium: 320 mg
Doritos Locos Taco
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 360 mg
Cheesy Roll-Up
- Calories: 180
- Protein: 9 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Sodium: 430 mg
Soft Taco
- · Calories: 180
- Protein: 9 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 17 grams
- Sodium: 500 mg
Chicken Chipotle Melt
- Calories: 190
- Protein: 12 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Sodium: 530 grams
Taco Bell Vegetarian
Most commercial types of vegetarian food are processed and have high amounts of sodium. This is usually when something is called vegetarian or low-calorie unless you eat at a vegetarian restaurant.
Black Bean Quesalupa
- Calories: 590 calories
- Protein: 22 grams
- Fat: 33 grams
- Carbs: 51 grams
- Sodium: 870 mg
Black Bean Crunch Wrap Supreme
- Calories: 510 calories
- Protein: 13 grams
- Fat: 17 grams
- Carbs: 77 grams
- Sodium: 1,080 mg
As you can see the vegetarian choices tend to run higher than the RDA of sodium per meal.
How to Order Healthy at Taco Bell
Here are some ways that you can make your meal healthier.
- Avoid the sauces and creams they put on your burrito, taco, or bowl. They are high in calories, sodium, chemicals, and additives.
- Ask for a “Fresca” meal. This replaces any cheese, sauces, sour cream, and mayo with diced tomatoes.
- Ask for guacamole. Avocado is a healthy fat.
If you want to know more about choosing a healthy meal at Taco Bell, use the Taco Bell online calculator. It will allow you to add and subtract choices to understand the exact nutritional facts for each meal.
Final Word
All fast foods are pre-made processed foods, so you will find large amounts of sodium, additives, and preservatives in the food. Although you may think you are eating healthy, you have to be careful of these foods because they can lead to diabetes and other diseases. After all, processed foods cause inflammation in your body.
There is nothing wrong with eating a higher than usual sodium meal once in a while, but you must understand the repercussions. If you eat Taco Bell once every so often, it is ok even if it is sodium heavy. Even Bruce Lee ate at McDonald’s once in a long while and he was a health nut. However, the repetitious daily consumption of fast food makes it difficult for the body to recover back to normal. High sodium and processed foods are designed to taste extremely good and the high amounts of sodium alter your cells to crave these foods.
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The Healthiest Food At Taco Bell
What do healthier choices mean? Let’s first consider that healthier and low-calorie labels do not necessarily mean healthier. The problem you find with meals and foods labeled healthy or low-calorie is that they are high in sodium or sugar. I am sorry to burst your balloon. It is true. However, you can find healthy options among those mouth-watering delicious unhealthy ones on the menu tempting your choices at Taco Bell.
The Truth About Low Calorie
Fast food restaurants are not going to put something on the menu that is not tasty. What you need to know is when you see a meal or product labeled low-calories, question the sodium. You can only consume 2300mg of sodium each day to maintain cellular balance. Consuming excessive sodium is unhealthy, and the same goes for consuming too much sodium in one meal. These famous online magazines and dieticians need to be more truthful rather than bend it. If a meal or food is labeled low calorie and low sodium, it is healthy for you. But most of the time, the market low-calories and forget to tell you about the excessive sodium in a meal. This is ironic for someone trying to maintain or lose weight because even though it is low-calorie, the high sodium will increase your weight because of water retention.
Too Much Sodium in One Meal
Firstly, you want your meal to have between 300-500mg per meal. Anything more than 500mg is unhealthy for your body. Your body needs sodium but it needs to be proportional in each meal throughout the day. Eating a meal with 1000mg of sodium is similar to overeating because your body will retain water and flush all the essential minerals, like potassium, out of your cells. It is too much to be processed at one time. Much like taking calcium each day, you don’t just take 1000mg at one time. It all gets flushed out from the body, 300mg every four hours is the best absorption rate. You see the point!
Delicious Healthy Choices At Taco Bell
Crunchy Taco
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 310 mg
Black Beans and Rice
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 4 grams
- Fat: 4 grams
- Carbs: 31 grams
- Sodium: 320 mg
Doritos Locos Taco
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 13 grams
- Sodium: 360 mg
Cheesy Roll-Up
- Calories: 180
- Protein: 9 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Sodium: 430 mg
Soft Taco
- · Calories: 180
- Protein: 9 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 17 grams
- Sodium: 500 mg
Chicken Chipotle Melt
- Calories: 190
- Protein: 12 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Carbs: 15 grams
- Sodium: 530 grams
Taco Bell Vegetarian
Most commercial types of vegetarian food are processed and have high amounts of sodium. This is usually when something is called vegetarian or low-calorie unless you eat at a vegetarian restaurant.
Black Bean Quesalupa
- Calories: 590 calories
- Protein: 22 grams
- Fat: 33 grams
- Carbs: 51 grams
- Sodium: 870 mg
Black Bean Crunch Wrap Supreme
- Calories: 510 calories
- Protein: 13 grams
- Fat: 17 grams
- Carbs: 77 grams
- Sodium: 1,080 mg
As you can see the vegetarian choices tend to run higher than the RDA of sodium per meal.
How to Order Healthy at Taco Bell
Here are some ways that you can make your meal healthier.
- Avoid the sauces and creams they put on your burrito, taco, or bowl. They are high in calories, sodium, chemicals, and additives.
- Ask for a “Fresca” meal. This replaces any cheese, sauces, sour cream, and mayo with diced tomatoes.
- Ask for guacamole. Avocado is a healthy fat.
If you want to know more about choosing a healthy meal at Taco Bell, use the Taco Bell online calculator. It will allow you to add and subtract choices to understand the exact nutritional facts for each meal.
Final Word
All fast foods are pre-made processed foods, so you will find large amounts of sodium, additives, and preservatives in the food. Although you may think you are eating healthy, you have to be careful of these foods because they can lead to diabetes and other diseases. After all, processed foods cause inflammation in your body.
There is nothing wrong with eating a higher than usual sodium meal once in a while, but you must understand the repercussions. If you eat Taco Bell once every so often, it is ok even if it is sodium heavy. Even Bruce Lee ate at McDonald’s once in a long while and he was a health nut. However, the repetitious daily consumption of fast food makes it difficult for the body to recover back to normal. High sodium and processed foods are designed to taste extremely good and the high amounts of sodium alter your cells to crave these foods.