Healthy Fast Food Guide | Taco Bell | Detailed

Overview

The Power Menu Bowl is one of the healthiest additions that Taco Bell could’ve possibly made to their menu. It puts them in a position to compete with the Chipotles and Qdobas of the world on both price and nutrition.

Recommendations

Option #1 — Power Menu Bowl — Chicken

You can customize the bowl, and take out a lot of the drawbacks that typically come with the menu items, which is a massive benefit to us building a good meal.

1. Grilled Chicken — customize with extra meat to increase lean protein intake; this chicken is grilled instead of fried, which means you’ll have less intake of bad fats, avoid losing nutrients in the cooking process, and reduce butter intake
2. Black Beans — maintains healthy bones, lowers blood pressure, and assists in fighting heart disease
3. Seasoned Rice — controls blood pressure, assists in preventing cancer, and improves skin
4. Pico de Gallo — high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and fights cancer
5. Guacamole — 20 different vitamins and minerals, improves heart health, lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels
6. Add Lettuce — rich in antioxidants, prevents bone loss, and improves heart health
7. Add Onions — lots of nutrients, antioxidants, and improves heart health
8. Add Tomato — improves heart health, fights cancer, and improves skin health
9. Remove the avocado ranch sauce as this contains empty calories without much nutritional value
10. Remove the cheese, since there’s enough protein and you’ll reduce unnecessary fats and cholesterol
11. Remove reduced-fat sour cream since it’s unnecessary and we’ll already be getting good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) from the guacamole

Option #2 — Power Menu Burrito — Chicken

The burrito version of this meal has more carbohydrates, so you’ll have to adjust accordingly (i.e. remove beans and rice to offset the carbohydrates from the tortilla).

Thus, the bowl is healthier since the carbohydrates from beans and rice are more nutritious than the tortilla. Even if it is a corn tortilla, which is healthier than a flour tortilla because it has more fiber, the beans and rice have more benefits.

More Useful Tools

Quick Guide — for when you’re on the go and/or need to know what the suggestions are without all the detail

Detailed Notes — consolidated notes for each fast-food establishment