Taco Bell is widely recognized for its flavorful and convenient menu, but many believe that finding healthy options at fast-food restaurants is almost impossible. Fortunately, with the right knowledge and smart choices, you can enjoy a satisfying meal at Taco Bell without compromising your health goals. Here’s how to navigate the menu for healthier options.
Understanding Nutritional Information
Before placing your order, take advantage of the detailed nutritional information available for each item on the Taco Bell menu. Familiarizing yourself with calorie counts and nutritional content can guide you in making better choices. Taco Bell has become one of the leading healthy fast food restaurants.
Smart Choices for a Healthier Meal
Go Easy on Sauces and Dressings
Taco Bell is known for its tasty sauces, but these can add unnecessary calories and sodium to your meal. Consider asking for sauces on the side so you can control the amount you use, or skip them altogether. Opting for fresh pico de gallo or jalapeños can add flavor without the extra calories. You can “Add the Creamy Jalapeño Sauce for the flavor and lower sodium option if you like.
Choose Fresco Style
One of the best options for healthier eating at Taco Bell is to order your items "Fresco Style." This means your meal will be topped with fresh diced tomatoes instead of cheese and creamy sauces, significantly reducing calorie and fat content while boosting freshness and flavor.
Opt for Grilled Instead of Crunchy
If you're craving a taco or burrito, choose grilled options like the Grilled Chicken Soft Taco or the Veggie Power Menu Bowl. These choices typically contain leaner proteins and are made with softer tortillas, offering a lighter alternative to their fried or crunchy counterparts.
Read also: Eating Keto at Taco Bell
Incorporate More Vegetables
Adding more vegetables to your meal can enhance its nutritional value. Consider upgrading to a Power Menu Bowl, which includes a variety of fresh veggies. You can also ask for extra lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings at no additional cost. “They focus on including more fresh plants, plant proteins and low-sodium options,” she said.
Watch Portion Sizes
Taco Bell’s menu features a range of sizes, including smaller portions like the "Taco" and "Crispy Chicken Soft Taco." Opting for these smaller items can help you keep portions in check. You can also consider sharing a larger item, like a burrito, to moderate your intake.
Make Smart Side Selections
When looking for sides, skip the nachos and cheesy items. Instead, consider sides like the Black Beans or seasoned rice. These are better choices that can complement your meal without adding excessive calories or fat.
Taco Bell: A Healthier Fast Food Option?
Fast food, in general, is not good, whether you’re concerned about flavor, health, or quality. Fried chicken is not typically regarded as a health food; mass-produced burgers are rarely considered gourmet; onion rings tend not to be viewed as the pinnacle of culinary prowess. But if you’re going to opt for fast food over homemade meals or better-quality restaurants, some options are better than others.
But when you think of a decent fast food joint, Taco Bell is likely not the first chain to come to mind. The Mexican-inspired fast food behemoth has long received scathing criticism regarding its supposedly low-quality meat and purportedly unhealthy menu items. A particularly well-publicized lawsuit against the company claimed its “beef” was actually only 36% beef, an assertion which was later revealed to be untrue. The company then spent millions of dollars to clear the air, hoping to redeem itself, but in some ways, the idea that Taco Bell delivers particularly bad fast food remains in the zeitgeist.
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However, some find that Taco Bell stands out as a surprisingly good option when it comes to accommodating dietary needs and offering lighter choices.
Personal Experiences and Vegan Options
One writer shares their experience with the brand, noting that when following a vegan diet back in 2014 and 2015, Taco Bell was one of the few cheap restaurants in their small suburban town that offered anything they could eat other than fries. This was before the days of the ubiquitous Impossible Burger, and they were deeply grateful for late-night black bean Crunchwrap Supremes and 5-Layer Burritos when the munchies hit. And unlike the oil-soaked McDonald’s and Wendy’s meals they had enjoyed in years prior, these indulgences never made them feel bloated and heavy the way a Big Mac would.
They admit that Taco Bell doesn't sell the most delicious tacos they’ve ever eaten, but most people don’t go to fast food restaurants because they’re looking for top-quality cuisine-they go because they’re looking for a quick, cheap, and easy meal. And although they think we should avoid seeking out these qualities in our foods whenever possible, sometimes, convenience is the most important factor to consider when you just need to get something in your stomach.
The vegan options they tried at the chain weren’t bad. When you swap out the cheese and sour cream with pico de gallo, the result is fairly innocuous, fairly flavorful, and generally satisfactory-and actually quite fresh. Add in some Fire Sauce, and a lot of Taco Bell’s lighter options are quite enjoyable.
Why Taco Bell Gets Undeserved Hate
It’s not just about the flavor, either. Despite all the hate it gets, Taco Bell is technically one of the healthier fast food options available, particularly when you opt for the more veggie-heavy options. And considering that it’s quite a bit less expensive and more accessible than “healthy” fast casual chains like Sweetgreen and Chipotle, it’s safe to say that the Bell gets a lot of unfair, undeserved hate.
Read also: Customize Your Keto Taco Bowl
At its core, Taco Bell is all about simplicity (despite its occasional penchant for undeniably weird menu items), with fresh veggies, beans, and simple proteins taking center stage. This general focus on whole ingredients makes TB a go-to for some on days when cooking seems like a monumental task and they don’t want to spend more than $10 on a meal.
The Reality of Fast Food
Taco Bell is part of the industrial food system, which is terrible for the environment, for human health, and for the general enjoyment of food. It’s not suggested that you should ever skip out on a decent meal for Cantina Chicken Burrito. But the fact is that we live in a world where, sometimes, fast food can seem (and be) unavoidable. At those times, it’s better to opt for Taco Bell than McDonald’s, any day of the week.
Specific Menu Items
If you love your taco, this black bean soft taco might be for you, especially since you can get 20% of your daily fiber with just one order. The black bean Chalupa is a source of plant-based protein and fiber thanks to the bean’s gut-friendly nutritional content. The veggie power bowl is an option if you want to customize your order. “Take the Nachos BellGrande and make it a filling plate.