{"id":2396,"date":"2025-02-16T10:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T10:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movewithnicole.com.au\/blog\/tips-for-ordering-a-healthy-meal-at-chipotle.html"},"modified":"2025-02-16T10:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T10:41:10","slug":"tips-for-ordering-a-healthy-meal-at-chipotle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/health\/tips-for-ordering-a-healthy-meal-at-chipotle.html","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Ordering a Healthy Meal at Chipotle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With fresh, responsibly-sourced ingredients, Chipotle is a good fast food\/fast casual option that makes it easy to eat healthy on the go. But the yummy chips, toppings, and tortillas also\u00a0make it easy to turn your order into an unintended\u00a0cheat meal. So what should you order at Chipotle to keep things relatively healthy? What menu options should you avoid?<\/p>\n<p>We asked two nutrition experts to break down tips for finding the healthiest choices.<\/p>\n<p>(Nutritional data is provided by the\u00a0Chipotle Nutrition Calculator.)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>1. Start with the Basics<\/h2>\n<p>When you\u2019re deciding what to order at Chipotle, skip the burrito; the large flour tortilla is particularly high-calorie, containing 320 calories \u2014 and that\u2019s before you add any toppings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo for the tacos, salad, or bowls instead,\u201d says\u00a0Kristian Morey, RD, LDN.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how those options stack up:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Salad\u00a0is your best bet, with just 15 calories\u00a0in the bed of supergreens.<\/li>\n<li>If you order a\u00a0burrito bowl, choose brown rice over white. A normal serving of rice (in a burrito bowl, burrito, or a three-taco meal) contains 210 calories, so request a \u201clight\u201d portion in person or in the app when ordering \u2014 or skip it altogether.<\/li>\n<li>If you order\u00a0tacos, opt for the crispy corn shells \u2014 an order of three contains 200 calories and zero sodium, compared to 250 calories and 480 mg of sodium for three soft flour tortillas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>2. Add Lean Protein<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Next, add some healthy protein to your order. Black beans and pinto beans both contain 130 calories and 8 grams of protein in an average scoop, so choose whichever bean you like best.<\/p>\n<p>For the main protein event, opt for chicken or sofritas (shredded tofu braised in spices). \u201cBoth are lower in saturated fat than red meat,\u201d says Sofia Norton, registered dietitian at Kiss My Keto. Sofritas clock in at 150 calories, 8 grams of plant-based protein, and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving. The chicken option has 180 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat, but a whopping 32 grams of protein per serving.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>3. Go Heavy on the Veggies<\/h2>\n<p>Norton suggests including plenty of veggies, which add volume to your meal, as well as beneficial fiber to help you feel fuller. The fajita vegetables, tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, roasted chili corn, or supergreens are all great additions to your dish. (Go easiest on the corn, which contains 80 calories per serving.)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>4. Watch Out for Saturated Fat<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-178751\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/17154412\/what-to-order-at-chipotle-600-fat.jpg\" alt=\"bowl of sour cream | What to Order at Chipotle\" width=\"602\" height=\"426\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t overdo it when it comes to shredded cheese, queso blanco sauce, and sour cream \u2014 these can add a lot of saturated fat and calories to your meal. (Chipotle\u2019s shredded cheese has 5 grams of saturated fat per serving, queso blanco has 6 grams, and sour cream has 7 grams.)<\/p>\n<p>Chipotle\u2019s salsa options \u2014 both the fresh tomato salsa and the tomatillo green-chili salsa \u2014 are great, low-cal, flavorful options. But if you\u2019re craving a creamy topping or dip, pick just one, and request a light portion. Even better, order it on the side so you can control how much you add to your food, Morey says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>5. Spring for the Guac<\/h2>\n<p>Avocados\u00a0contain \u201cvaluable nutrients like fiber, B vitamins, and potassium,\u201d Norton says, along with\u00a0healthy fats\u00a0that are believed to benefit heart health. And Chipotle\u2019s guacamole includes only real stuff \u2014 avocados, cilantro, jalape\u00f1o, lemon juice, lime juice, red onion, and salt \u2014 no funny business like preservatives or artificial flavors.<\/p>\n<p>Just keep in mind that a helping of guac adds 230 calories to your meal, so you may want to order it on the side so you can eat half now and\u00a0save the rest for later.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>6. Skip the Chips<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-178750\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/17154404\/what-to-order-at-chipotle-600-chips.jpg\" alt=\"bag of chips | What to Order at Chipotle\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Chips are tempting, but leave them off your order. \u201cThe smallest option clocks in at over 500 calories,\u201d Morey says. \u201cThat\u2019s practically a meal\u2019s worth for some people.\u201d And a large order of chips with a side of queso blanco will run you 1,290 calories and contains 28 grams of saturated fat.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>7. Take Advantage of the Nutrition Calculator<\/h2>\n<p>Before you order, Morey recommends running your order through the handy\u00a0Nutrition Calculator\u00a0on the Chipotle website \u2014 it calculates the full nutritional information of your meal. You can also see the difference in nutritional stats if you choose to go \u201cextra,\u201d \u201cnormal,\u201d or \u201clight\u201d on any of your selections. For instance, you can quickly see that choosing a light serving of cilantro-lime brown rice instead of a normal serving will shave off 105 calories.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Easy Options to Order at Chipotle<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-150474\" src=\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/26153728\/chipotle-bag.jpeg\" alt=\"what to order at chipotle to go bag\" width=\"453\" height=\"669\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>Still not sure what to order at Chipotle? Here are a few options that offer plenty of nutrients. (Keep in mind the sodium content can be significant, even in the healthiest options at Chipotle \u2014 so try to limit your sodium intake the rest of the day.)<\/p>\n<h3>Salad with chicken<\/h3>\n<p>Add black beans, fajita vegetables, and fresh tomato salsa.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Calories:<\/strong>\u00a0360<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fat:\u00a0<\/strong>9 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protein:<\/strong>\u00a041 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carbohydrates:<\/strong>\u00a032 grams<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Burrito bowl with sofritas<\/h3>\n<p>Add cilantro-lime brown rice (light), pinto beans, fajita vegetables, tomatillo green-chili salsa, and romaine lettuce<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Calories:<\/strong>\u00a0425<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fat:\u00a0<\/strong>15 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protein:<\/strong>\u00a019 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carbohydrates:<\/strong>\u00a058 grams<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Veggie tacos<\/h3>\n<p>Choose two crispy corn tortillas instead of three, and add black beans, fajita vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, and romaine lettuce<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Calories<\/strong>: 406<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fat:\u00a0<\/strong>22 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protein:<\/strong>\u00a010 grams<\/li>\n<li><strong>Carbohydrates:<\/strong>\u00a046 grams<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Lifestyle Bowls<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re following a specific diet plan, you can also choose one of Chipotle\u2019s pre-designed\u00a0Lifestyle Bowls\u00a0\u2014 they\u2019re available in Whole30, paleo, and vegan-friendly versions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With fresh, responsibly-sourced ingredients, Chipotle is a good fast food\/fast casual option that makes it easy to eat healthy on the go. But the yummy chips, toppings, and tortillas also\u00a0make it easy to turn your order into an unintended\u00a0cheat meal. So what should you order at Chipotle to keep things relatively healthy? What menu options [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}