Although it is hard to believe, in all fast food chains there are healthy options. And no, we are not referring to the salad exclusively, but to other dishes that, as a prize, slip or gift, we can choose from time to time within a healthy life. Some time ago we explained that it is best to choose a piece of meat that was not fried and add a lot of vegetables, avoid extra sauces and choose water as a drink and fruit as a dessert, but today we go further.
It is normal to have lunch or dinner away from home when we spend the day out with friends or family, going shopping, to the movies, visiting a town, etc. And if we are in a capital it is quite likely that there is a Taco Bell nearby, that is why we want to offer the healthiest options of this fast food chain.
At Taco Bell we have an extensive menu and there are even vegan options, which is appreciated and the quantities are suitable for a quick snack or we can order several things and thus eat in quantity. The key is to increase the amount of vegetables, avoid fried foods and choose water as drinks, although if we want to have a special day, we can choose a soft drink.
The Taco Bell menu is divided into groups, first the tacos, which are the star product, then the crunchy wrap, followed by the burritos, then the quesadillas, the complements and finally the desserts and drinks.
We do not recommend quesadillas or burritos because they are very caloric, as well as desserts and the vast majority of complements, but we will still find some healthy options. In addition, the vast majority of drinks are sugary soft drinks, but they are obliged to also offer good options such as water , so we can choose water if the food is very caloric or soft drink for a specific treat.
The healthiest tacos from Taco Bell
In this section we are going to highlight 3 options and that is that tacos are the best options, not only because of their size, but also because of the variety of flavors. In addition, we can even ask for extra ingredients or change one for another.
For example, the Soft taco veg is a good option because it only has 168 kilocalories, 6.6 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, less than 2 grams of salt, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 0.6 grams of sugars and 14 grams protein. In short, it is a well balanced option.
On the other hand, there is the Soft roasted chicken taco with 194 kilocalories, 10.2 grams of fat, 4.7 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of salt, 15.2 grams of carbohydrates, 0.8 grams of sugars and 11.6 grams of protein.
There is another healthy option, or at least balanced for a day of celebration and slip, it is the Crunchy bean pan. With only 145 kilocalories, 7.3 grams of fat, 1.8 grams of saturated fat, 0.6 grams of salt, 16.5 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of protein.
We have only chosen Soft options , because the crunchy options are pancakes fried in refined sunflower oil. That is, a very negative option. We can choose them to share, since within the taco options there is a pack of 6 and, for example, the rice ones have only 145 kilocalories per unit, as well as 7.3 grams of fat, 1.8 grams of saturated fat, 0.6 grams of salt, 0.3 grams of sugars and 6 grams of protein.
By way of sharing between several people, well, we can recommend it, as long as we keep in mind that it is a special day and we are in a fast food chain.
The best add-ons to order at Taco Bell
Here we go back to the same thing… Few add-ins are truly healthy except for Mexican salsa, guacamole, cheese sauce, and salad. The first three are below 70 calories, low in salt, low in carbohydrates, and low in protein.
Among the accessory options there is a complete salad and the truth is that it is quite good, in addition, we can ask Taco Bell to put double of some ingredient, for example, double of fresh tomato.
It is a small salad as a first course with 179 kilocalories, 6 grams of fat (it is because of the sauce it includes), 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0.8 grams of salt, 25.6 grams of carbohydrates, 2.9 grams of sugars and 6.8 grams of protein.
Another option of complements that is not at all bad (on paper) are the Mexican twist, but we do not recommend them since they are a food fried in refined sunflower oil. Also, they are not available at all Taco Bell locations.
Why is it not a good idea to order something else?
We are here to inform, not to compel. Everyone can ask for what they want, see, they want and such. We only inform about the healthiest options within the obvious situation, which is that it is a fast food chain.
We can opt for a complete salad with guacamole sauce and a soft drink, or a burrito and a bottle of water, a quesadilla with lots of vegetables, etc. there are a thousand options at our fingertips.
We do not recommend the burritos because in their table of nutritional values, none of the options falls below the almost 500 kilocalories, nor the 22 grams of fat and nor the 54 grams of carbohydrates. That is, highly caloric options that then have to be added to the calculation of the whole day. It is true that an adult needs about 2,000 kilocalories a day, but that is in the case of having a healthy lifestyle that includes moderate physical activity.
Something very similar happens with quesadillas. To be honest, they are delicious, but the healthy options that we can prepare at home with fresh vegetables and quality meat, olive oil, sauces low in saturated fat and sugar, etc. are better.
We do not recommend ordering quesadillas at Taco Bell since of the 10 options that there are only one is below 190 kilocalories, which is the cheese quesadilla. In addition, only that is the one with the lowest percentage of fat, although it has almost 12 grams of carbohydrates. It is a simple corn tortilla stuffed with cheese, we can order it and accompany it with the salad that we have recommended before and ask for water to drink.
