Eating fast food from the popular Mexican chain restaurant Taco Bell may not be healthy every day, but eating it occasionally may work with your current diet plan, according to MayoClinic.com in the article "Fast Food: 5 Ways to Healthier Meals." Some items on the menu, however, are high in fat and calories, which may cause weight gain, high cholesterol and heart disease.
History
In 2009, Taco Bell introduced their Drive-Thru Diet Menu, which includes seven menu items that are lower in fat and calories than the traditional items on the menu. These items include the Fresco Crunchy Taco with 7 g of fat and 150 calories, the Fresco Burrito Supreme with Steak with 8 g of fat and 330 calories, the Fresco Burrito Supreme with Chicken with 8 g of fat and 340 calories, the Fresco Soft Taco with 7 g of fat and 180 calories and the Fresco Bean Burrito with 8 g of fat and 140 calories. The items with the lowest fat on the Drive-Thru Diet Menu are the Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco with 4.5 g of fat and 160 calories and the Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco with 4 g of fat and 170 calories.
Types
Most traditional menu items contain more calories and fat than the Drive-Thru Diet Menu items at Taco Bell. The Bean Burrito is the lowest item in fat and calories on the traditional menu and contains 10 g of fat and and 370 calories per serving. The Volcano Nachos contains the most fat and calories of any item on the menu with 1,000 calories and 62 g of fat per serving, according to the TacoBell.com Full Nutrition Information.
Considerations
According to Amina Khan in the "Los Angeles Times" article "The Mystery of Taco Bell's Drive-Thru Diet," the most notable difference between the Drive-Thru Diet menu options and the traditional menu items is that cheese, which is high in saturated fat and calories, is replaced with salsa. Although removing shredded cheese from the items may help cut back on fat and calories, it may not help you lose weight if you are eating the items regularly.
Expert Insight
Eating at a fast food restaurant doesn't have to be forbidden, even when you're trying to eat healthy. Switch from soda or sugary juice to water, recommends MayoClinic.com. Choose grilled items, like the Grilled Chicken Burrito instead of fried items, like the Beef Chalupa Baja. Ordering a salad isn't always the wisest option. For example, the Chicken Ranch Taco Salad contains a whopping 910 calories and 54 g of fat per serving. Ordering a salad without dressing, cheese or meat is a more nutritious option.
Misconceptions
The Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet is not a diet plan -- it is a selection of items on the Taco Bell menu. Christine Dougherty, the spokesperson for the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet who purportedly lost 54 lb. while eating Taco Bell did not limit her diet to only Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet items. Consult your doctor before changing your diet plan or attempting to use Taco Bell menu items to lose weight.
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