Is Chipotle really healthy?

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Replies

  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    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!
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  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
    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
    Strawblackcat wrote: »
    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
    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
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Strawblackcat wrote: »
    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
    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
    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: 827 Member
    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
    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!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    GemstoneofHeart wrote: »
    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!

    Pretty much any restaurant is going to be high sodium. Not particularly an issue if you aren't sodium sensitive.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Strawblackcat wrote: »
    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.

    Many of my home prepared meals will approach 1,000 calories...I have zero problems eating 1,000 calories in a sitting.
  • Stella3838
    Stella3838 Posts: 439 Member
    Son of a *kitten*. Thinking about eating Chipotle will now consume the rest of my afternoon. On another note, I was able to come close to making the bowl I like to get there at home. Lower calories and a lot less sodium. But.... Chipotle....
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    Stella3838 wrote: »
    Son of a *kitten*. Thinking about eating Chipotle will now consume the rest of my afternoon. On another note, I was able to come close to making the bowl I like to get there at home. Lower calories and a lot less sodium. But.... Chipotle....

    I had Chipotle Saturday. 600ish calories for chicken and black bean tacos with corn tortillas and guac. Soooo good!
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    Gotta learn to separate portion size from nutritional quality.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    ryansworld731 wrote: »
    I'm starting to watch my health and intake now that I am over 30 :open_mouth: My wife and I love to eat at Chipotle but when looking at their nutrition stats it is just too many calories for a meal, maybe splitting a meal is best.

    I feel like most people think Chipotle is healthy but I don't see how it is any better than say McDonalds given an average meal there appears to be 1,100+ calories.

    Marketing win for Chipotle or what?

    Me and my BF are both pretty active, but neither of us would ever consider NOT splitting a burrito.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    Strawblackcat wrote: »
    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.

    That's my problem, I definitely can and have on many occasions consumed 1000 cal in one sitting there. That was before I paid attention to that kind of thing.. ignorance was bliss.
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    If you stick to portion sizes, sour cream, cheese, guac, tortilla, but they give you more than 1 serving.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Strawblackcat wrote: »
    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.

    Yep. Fat Kid Club here. Whole bowl with beans and rice and sour cream. One sitting, then ready for dessert.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Pretty much any food can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

    Pretty much any food can also be unhealthy for someone's lifestyle goals and aims, especially if 'used wrong'.
    (For instance the person looking to lose weight that doesn't have a great TDEE whi has high calorie food daily rather than as an occasional treat.)
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    My regular meal at Chipotle is under 400 calories and gives me a ton of protein, fiber, and vitamins. You literally build your own meal there so you can control the calorie content yourself. If you go to the website, you can play around with the options until you find the calorie/macro balance that meets your needs.

    If you choose options that make it "too many calories" for a meal, that's on you.

    This.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    It's too high cal for me at lunch - and that's the only time I would go. Besides, why waste my time on Chipotle when there are so many better Mexican and South American restaurants in my area :tongue:

    There's nothing wrong with it, however. Plenty of good nutrition in beans, meat and veg. Just make smart choices.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
    My veggie bowl is less than 600 calories using their nutrition tracker
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    The burrito that we get (when we go, I'm actually tired of Chipotle's so we've not gone there in a long time) calcs to 925 calories. Anytime that we go, We split it at about a 1/3 and 2/3 divide. I eat the smaller one and my BF eats the larger one.
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