Taco Bell, like many fast food restaurants, posts nutritional information on the products they serve. This labeling came about by a 1990 act called the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA). This act set forth a set of guidelines on testing and listing certain dietary information about food. Taco Bell nutritional information is also available on their website nutrition page. Choices for healthy options are based on the USDA's (United States Department of Agriculture) dietary guidelines for Americans.
Taco Bell's Food Testing Process
Taco Bell states that they "regularly retest items and match them against the USDA database to ensure accurate figures." The food is sent to laboratories that specifically test the nutritional compositions. However, according to the NLEA standards, there can be a difference of 20 percent between what is reported and what is tested as a true value. In other words, this means that companies have the discretion of lowering or raising the values of each component in their food. In this fashion, the values of fat can be lowered by 1 or 2 grams per serving, and the calorie count by 50. This can greatly affects the actual nutrition of these foods.
Best Choices on the Menu
Certain Taco Bell menu items including, chalupas, gorditas and specialty items, are less than 400 calories, contain less than 5 grams of saturated fat, and have 4 or more grams of fiber. The USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize these values as healthy standards for entrees. Specifically, the Taco Bell menu items that meet these healthy standards include the bean burrito, chicken and steak burrito supreme, fresco bean burrito, beef nacho cheese chalupa, beef chalupa supreme, beef gordita baja, beef gordita nacho cheese, beef gordita supreme, pintos and cheese, triple-layer nachos and the tostada
The tacos that are less than 400 calories, less than 6 grams of saturated fat, and have 5 or more grams of fiber are the double decker taco and double decker taco supreme.
Fresco Menu
Taco Bell's "Drive-Thru Diet Menu" contains what they label as fresco items. Taco Bell states that the fresco items are "7 incredible Taco Bell tastes under 9 grams of fat, providing more choices that are lower in fat and calories." According to the Taco Bell nutritional information, all seven choices are under 400 calories, all have less than 5 grams of saturated fat, but only three of the choices have greater than 5 grams of fiber per serving; these are the fresco bean burrito, fresco chicken burrito supreme and the fresco steak burrito supreme.
Allergies
Taco Bell also reports specific allergens found in each of their products.The allergen table on their website was last updated June 8, 2008, and notes that peanuts are not used in any of their products; however, other allergens including eggs, milk, wheat, soybean, fish, shellfish, gluten and MSG are found in other menu items.
Warning
According to the American Heart Association, Americans should consume no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day. An excess of sodium can lead to high blood pressure, and allow for water retention that puts added stress on the heart. While the "healthy" options on the Taco Bell menu are considered to be calorie-wise, the majority of them contain over half, if not the entire daily recommendation for sodium.
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