Chipotle is a chain of quick-service restaurants offering burritos and tacos. Chipotle touts the merits of its fresh ingredients, but this does not mean its foods are low in calorie.
Basic Components
A single flour tortilla at Chipotle contains 290 calories. The rice adds 130 calories, the beans 120. Fajita vegetables contain just 20 calories, the barbacoa filling 170 calories and the chicken, carnitas and steak 190 calories each. Most of the salsas range from 15 to 40 calories per serving, while the corn salsa contains 80 calories per serving. An order of tortilla chips packs 570 calories.
Calorie Savings
Choose tacos over a burrito to save calories --- a soft taco tortilla contains 90 calories and a crispy shell contains 60 calories. Skip sour cream, at 60 calories per ounce, and cheese, with 100 calories an ounce. A 3.5-ounce serving of guacamole adds 150 more calories to your order.
Considerations
The Center for Science in the Public Interest notes that it is possible to eat healthfully at Chipotle, but you have to choose your menu items carefully. Opt for a bowl --- a deconstructed burrito served over lettuce --- without the rice to save 420 calories. You should also be aware of the high sodium content of many of the burrito components.
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