Is Chipotle really healthy?

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  • ryansworld731
    ryansworld731 Posts: 4 Member
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    I understand calories and nutrition are not necessarily at odds all the time but even if say a cashew is nutritious but calorie dense you wouldn't eat 1,200 calories worth of them at a time!

    I was just rambling about chipotle because everyone, I personally know, goes there says its healthy and then proceeds to eat 1,200 calories in 15 minutes! I still love their food but maybe next time I'll just buy one bowl and split it with my wife instead of each of us getting a bowl on our own.

    BTW my mindset right now is weight loss so calories do matter, a lot. Physics!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I understand calories and nutrition are not necessarily at odds all the time but even if say a cashew is nutritious but calorie dense you wouldn't eat 1,200 calories worth of them at a time!

    I was just rambling about chipotle because everyone, I personally know, goes there says its healthy and then proceeds to eat 1,200 calories in 15 minutes! I still love their food but maybe next time I'll just buy one bowl and split it with my wife instead of each of us getting a bowl on our own.

    BTW my mindset right now is weight loss so calories do matter, a lot. Physics!

    Most of them probably aren't aware how calorie dense Chipotle is
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    I understand calories and nutrition are not necessarily at odds all the time but even if say a cashew is nutritious but calorie dense you wouldn't eat 1,200 calories worth of them at a time!

    I was just rambling about chipotle because everyone, I personally know, goes there says its healthy and then proceeds to eat 1,200 calories in 15 minutes! I still love their food but maybe next time I'll just buy one bowl and split it with my wife instead of each of us getting a bowl on our own.

    BTW my mindset right now is weight loss so calories do matter, a lot. Physics!

    Most of them probably aren't aware how calorie dense Chipotle is

    Which is pretty funny when you consider the public lashings they've gotten over that "thousand calorie burrito" thing. I don't even own a TV and I saw that *kitten*. Seriously, you have to be willfully ignorant at this point, to not be aware.
  • schmanciepants
    schmanciepants Posts: 62 Member
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    I have used Chipotle's nutrition calculator, and a salad with double fajita veggies, a protein, salsa, and half of the cheese isn't too bad....I skip the rice and tortillas to make it fit.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
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    Rice and beans and guacamole... it's hard to beat that when you're on the go.

    Has anyone tried Moe's? Do they let you add more scoops of rice and beans?
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
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    No it's high cal and salty AF. I go there once in awhile but mostly because they are veg friendly, unlike most chains.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    I understand calories and nutrition are not necessarily at odds all the time but even if say a cashew is nutritious but calorie dense you wouldn't eat 1,200 calories worth of them at a time!

    I was just rambling about chipotle because everyone, I personally know, goes there says its healthy and then proceeds to eat 1,200 calories in 15 minutes! I still love their food but maybe next time I'll just buy one bowl and split it with my wife instead of each of us getting a bowl on our own.

    BTW my mindset right now is weight loss so calories do matter, a lot. Physics!

    Most of them probably aren't aware how calorie dense Chipotle is

    Which is pretty funny when you consider the public lashings they've gotten over that "thousand calorie burrito" thing. I don't even own a TV and I saw that *kitten*. Seriously, you have to be willfully ignorant at this point, to not be aware.

    I think even if they're aware, for many, the information is meaningless because theirs no real context. Before I was on MFP, I was aware of calories in most things, but it was just meaningless information for me because I didn't have any context and had no idea what that meant for my body...it was basically just a number.

    I

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I understand calories and nutrition are not necessarily at odds all the time but even if say a cashew is nutritious but calorie dense you wouldn't eat 1,200 calories worth of them at a time!

    I was just rambling about chipotle because everyone, I personally know, goes there says its healthy and then proceeds to eat 1,200 calories in 15 minutes! I still love their food but maybe next time I'll just buy one bowl and split it with my wife instead of each of us getting a bowl on our own.

    BTW my mindset right now is weight loss so calories do matter, a lot. Physics!

    Calories always matter which is where portion control comes in regardless of the healthfulness of anything.

    Your friends likely are either unaware of the calories in what they're eating or if they are aware, it's not particularly meaningful data to them.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Rice and beans and guacamole... it's hard to beat that when you're on the go.

    Has anyone tried Moe's? Do they let you add more scoops of rice and beans?

    Love Moe's.... Especially on Mondays! And I've never been charged more for getting extra beans or rice....Only extra meat or adding guac or queso.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    Hopefully they have cleaned up their act since salmonella, norovirus, and E. coli aren't all that healthy. That said I would still eat there if they had one here. Used to eat there all the time in Denver.

    Lots of calories doesn't make something unhealthy. I can easily make a 1200 calorie burrito into 600 or 300 if that is my goal. I don't even have to change the ingredients.

  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
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    Isn't chipotle really high in sodium? Every time I eat there even with my healthier options, I blow up like a balloon.
    I usually get a chicken bowl, tiny bit of sour cream and cheese, if any. The tortilla is what will kill your calories!
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    I honestly don't understand how people can eat 1000+ calories in one Chipotle meal. I mean, I can certainly build a burrito or bowl that has that many, but there's no freaking way that I could the whole thing in one sitting. I went there tonight and got a bowl with steak, beans, lettuce, and salsa for about 350 calories and I STILL couldn't finish the whole thing.

    In any case, I think that Chipotle is really healthy as far as restaurants go. "Healthfulness" is about more than just calories. Chipotle, for the most part, uses fresher food and fewer preservatives than a lot of their compeditors. Plus, most of their meat is humanly raises, and a few of their menu items are organic. To me, that puts them in a totally different category than a place like, say, McDonalds.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    I honestly don't understand how people can eat 1000+ calories in one Chipotle meal. I mean, I can certainly build a burrito or bowl that has that many, but there's no freaking way that I could the whole thing in one sitting. I went there tonight and got a bowl with steak, beans, lettuce, and salsa for about 350 calories and I STILL couldn't finish the whole thing.

    In any case, I think that Chipotle is really healthy as far as restaurants go. "Healthfulness" is about more than just calories. Chipotle, for the most part, uses fresher food and fewer preservatives than a lot of their compeditors. Plus, most of their meat is humanly raises, and a few of their menu items are organic. To me, that puts them in a totally different category than a place like, say, McDonalds.

    You must have never been but so fat. I can eat 1200 calories of tilapia, broccoli and plain oats in a single sitting. I don't even want to know what I could do if I started incorporating a bunch of avocado, creams and oils.

    Former Fat Kid Crew and all of that.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    Chipotle is considered "healthy" because it's whole, fresh food that you can customize. Leave off the tortilla, cheese, sour cream and guacamole and you've got a 400-700 calorie meal with a macro profile that McD's can't come close to.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I honestly don't understand how people can eat 1000+ calories in one Chipotle meal. I mean, I can certainly build a burrito or bowl that has that many, but there's no freaking way that I could the whole thing in one sitting. I went there tonight and got a bowl with steak, beans, lettuce, and salsa for about 350 calories and I STILL couldn't finish the whole thing.

    In any case, I think that Chipotle is really healthy as far as restaurants go. "Healthfulness" is about more than just calories. Chipotle, for the most part, uses fresher food and fewer preservatives than a lot of their compeditors. Plus, most of their meat is humanly raises, and a few of their menu items are organic. To me, that puts them in a totally different category than a place like, say, McDonalds.

    You must have never been but so fat. I can eat 1200 calories of tilapia, broccoli and plain oats in a single sitting. I don't even want to know what I could do if I started incorporating a bunch of avocado, creams and oils.

    Former Fat Kid Crew and all of that.

    Yeah, I could easily eat that. And then follow it up with ice cream for dessert. My inner fat lady is alive and well. I don't know that she will ever go away.
  • Speziface
    Speziface Posts: 1,687 Member
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    kwtilbury wrote: »
    Chipotle is considered "healthy" because it's whole, fresh food that you can customize. Leave off the tortilla, cheese, sour cream and guacamole and you've got a 400-700 calorie meal with a macro profile that McD's can't come close to.

    You can get a southwest salad with grilled chicken at McDonald's, and even with the dressing it comes in around 500 calories. But that and an Egg White Delight are about the only reasonable choices.
  • KellyAnne999
    KellyAnne999 Posts: 2 Member
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    I get a bowl with rice, steak, corn and hot salsas, and a small potion of cheese (and you have to get it across that you really do want just a tiny bit, or they'll dump on a handful) and it fits nicely into my food plan, especially with the all the protein. If you are salt conscious, I'd skip it, though, as it is very high in sodium. Since I take looong bike rides 5x a week, sodium is not a problem for me.
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 825 Member
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    Love Chipotle's salads! As others have said, skip the sour cream and opt for salsa instead.

    Also, it's not listed on the menu but you can order one taco. Also, if you love the chips there you can order the kid's bag of chips. Perfect size for one person!
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    I can easily finish a burrito. I definitely have an inner fat girl that never shuts up.

    I get the chicken, cilantro rice, a mix of beans, cheese, lettuce, corn salsa, and pico. I think it's around 900 calories. I skip the guacamole cause they charge extra.

    It's delicious, I eat it with loads of hot sauce!