Chipotle is a fast-food chain restaurant in the USA that remains in the headlines for different reasons. But the most common reason it is always in the media is that the chain claims to make the safest fast food in the market. It has also backed its claim by describing the quality measures and transparency of ingredients.
But the real question remains, Is Chipotle healthy for you?
Yes, Chipotle is healthy for you, but only if you choose the right ingredients for your meal. It is the ingredients that define the health status of any Chiptole’s meal.
So, what are the right ingredients, and can Chipotle food turn out to be unhealthy? We are answering your every query in mind here in this article.
Table of Content
How Is Chipotle Healthy?
A Chipotle meal is healthy when you choose healthy ingredients. The Chipotle restaurant offers a variety of meat, vegetables, sauces, and other items to choose from. You can easily pick the ingredients of your choice and make the meal nutritious.
Chipotle is offering a total of 53 ingredients at the moment. The chain only takes ingredients from such farms that use safe farming practices. That is why reputable nutritionists have also backed the claims of Chipotle being the top fast food chain regarding safety and quality.
Meat lovers often search “Is Chipotle chicken healthy?” and the answer is yes, it is. The chain makes sure the animals are brought up with care and good food so that there is no safety concern regarding the meat. Thus, every ingredient (including meat) used in Chipotle’s restaurant is 100% safe to consume.
In addition to this, the health status of any fast food depends on the fat content present in it. If you choose only those ingredients that are low in fat content and rich in nutrition, then the meal is healthy. For example, you should prefer eating brown rice and never eat white rice as the latter has more fat content. Similarly, add more vegetables to make the meal rich in minerals and fibers.
People also ask us, Is Chipotle healthy for weight loss, and the answer is again conditional. Chipotle can lead to weight loss only if you order less calorie food from the restaurant and work out daily. Two questions we frequently get are, “Is Chipotle healthy after a workout?” and “Is Chipotle healthy for bodybuilding?
The answer again depends on what you want to eat. If you keep ordering burritos and tacos, then losing weight becomes difficult.
When Is Chipotle Bad For You?
Chipotle is unhealthy only if you choose those ingredients that are high in fat. White rice, cheese, sour cream, and some other elements can make any food unhealthy.
Similarly, people also ask us, “Is a burrito from Chipotle healthy?” and No, it is not. There is no denying that burrito is the most famous food at Chipotle, and quite rightly so. The taste of Chipotle’s burritos is exquisite. However, it is considered unhealthy to consume due to the saturated fat content in them. Also, the Chipotle burrito bowl is large in size which leads you to consume many unwanted calories.
How to Make Food Healthy at Chipotle?
You can do the following things to eat a healthy meal from Chiptole.
Avoid Unhealthy foods
Chipotle is helping its customers by giving them the nutrition calculator. With this calculator, you can easily see the calories, fat content, protein, fiber, sugar, and many other elements in the ingredients of your meal.
Some of the foods the nutrition calculator has advised to avoid are:
Avoid white rice and refined carbohydrates to make your meal healthy. Refined carbohydrates are not nutritious to eat as most of the fiber and minerals are stripped off during the refining process.
Instead of white rice, go for cauliflower rice, which has more or less 40 calories. Many people search this online, “Is the cauliflower rice at Chipotle healthy?” Absolutely Yes, Keto Bowl has cauliflower rice which is a nutritious meal to eat
One question people frequently ask is, “Is Chipotle healthy for diabetes?” As we have mentioned before, it all depends upon the ingredients you choose. If you eat a whole burrito more often, which has cream or cheese, and drink carbonated drinks with it, your sugar level will spike up. You can replace cheese and sour cream with beans and salsa. Avoiding these high-fat content toppings can improve your fitness as well.
Go for Guac
You should add a little guacamole to your meal. Some may think adding guacamole is a waste of money, but they don’t know what they are missing. It is high in monounsaturated fat that reduces LDL cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, and protects the heart from many diseases.
Say Yes to Beans
People ask us, what is the lowest calorie meal at Chipotle, and the answer is none other than the beans. Chipotle offers pinto and black beans, which are rich in nutrition. Also, since the calories are low, you can easily burn fat and get slimmer quickly. For this to happen, combine eating beans with regular exercise.
In addition to this, eating beans with grilled chicken and fajita veggies is also beneficial for pregnant women. Ladies who are in love with Chipotle often search, Is Chipotle healthy during pregnancy, and we just gave them the great news. But make sure you use a nutrition calculator to keep the calories in check.
Veg it Up
People ask, Is a veggie bowl from Chipotle healthy, and the answer is yes. You can have dietary fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and micronutrients by opting for a bowl full of vegetables. From Chipotle’s menu, the vegetables you can order are tomato green, red chili salsa, fajita vegetables, romaine lettuce, and chili corn salsa.
Order Healthy Sides
There is no point in ordering a healthy main course if you order an unhealthy side dish with it.
Unhealthy food items on your plate can lead you to more considerable harm. For example, people often order chips as a side dish. Chips are rich in carbohydrates, fat, and sodium content that harms the health by increasing the blood pressure level and increasing bad cholesterol. You can order Chiptole’s sauce with your order.
But the question arises, is Chipotle sauce healthy? Well, yes, it is, but only if you don’t over consume it.
In addition to this, don’t order carbonated drinks with your meal as they only make the matter worse with the harmful content in them.
Order Half
At Chipotle, the size of ordered food is bigger than most restaurants. One complete meal of this chain is enough for two people to eat. So, it is better if you order half to avoid overeating.
You can also try different combos to increase the quality of the meal. Want to know what they are? Then continue reading!
Healthy Food Combos You Should Order At Chipotle
Try a combination of these ingredients to have a healthy Chipotle meal:
Meat and Salad
People often ask us, “Is Chipotle steak healthy?” and the answer is absolutely yes. But they are more nutritious when eaten with salads.
Meat is considered often high in calories. So, if you are craving steak, order it with salad, fajita vegetables, black beans, and green chili salsa. The total calories of this order are 325 grams. The protein content is 32g, and sodium content is 955 mg.
Protein-rich order
Want to know which is the healthiest meat at Chipotle? Chicken is the healthiest as it is protein-rich. Here’s what you need to order: A bowl with Chicken, beans (preferably black), salsa, brown rice, and a little cheese.
The protein content of this meat is 50 grams. The total calories are 650, and the sodium content is 1400mg.
Attention Taco Lovers
If you want to eat a healthy meal that includes tacos, then this is for you. Order corn tacos with beans, fajita veggies, and lettuce to make a wholesome meal. If you want, you can also order a little cream to go with the tacos. This meal will have around 426 calories and a 10-gram protein content.
Perfect Combination for Vegans
If you are a vegan and want to know what is the best thing you can order at Chipotle, then we have got you covered. You can request a bowl with fajita vegetables, guacamole, beans, and soybean-based sofritas. Also, you can include brown rice in it to have a perfect vegan meal.
People want to know, “Is brown rice from Chipotle healthy?” and it sure is. White rice contains more carbohydrates, unlike brown rice, so it is better to use the latter in your meal.
You can enjoy 820 calories and 26g protein content in this meal.
FAQs
Is corn salsa from Chipotle healthy?
Yes, corn salsa from Chiptole is healthy to eat. It is a healthy alternative to sour cream and cheese. It contains almost 90 calories, 16g carbs, and 3g protein. You can add corn salsa to both vegetarian and meaty meals.
Is sofritas from Chipotle healthy?
The soybean-based plant protein Sofritas is absolutely healthy. Vegetarians love this ingredient as it enriches the taste of veggies with its flavor. It contains 150 calories, and the healthy fat content is 10g.
Is queso from Chipotle healthy?
Queso is mainly cheese with high saturated fat and calories. So, it is not a healthy thing to eat. Instead, go for alternatives like salsa to make the food more delicious.
Conclusion
People ask, Is Chipotle healthy, and the answer is yes, it is. To avoid food being high in calories, avoid brown rice, cream, cheese, and tacos. Similarly, add more vegetables and beans to make the meal truly nutritious. Thus, everything depends on your choice of ingredients. Order ingredients having low-fat content and enjoy a healthy life.
