Taco Bell

I tried to avoid fast food for years, but it wasn't fun. It meant driving around at night trying to find somewhere open not considered "fast food," and usually ending up at some bar with food that was even worse for me, just because "fast food" has such negative connotations. When I finally realized that with my budget and schedule, it made much more sense to eat it occasionally, I found some some decent items on the menus, especially as Americans have become more health-conscious in recent years.

Taco Bell is a personal favorite, so I will cover them today.

They have a Fresco menu, which consists of regular menu items without the cheese, and salsa added. Of the items included, the Ranchero Soft Taco has the least amount of calories (170), sodium is on the low side comparatively, and protein is on the high side. If you are looking for something more filling, the Zesty Chicken Border Bowl (without dressing) has the most fiber with 10 grams, but 350 calories. Don’t forget to say “Fresco style.”

If you don't want anything on the Fresco menu, as a general rule at any Mexican restaurant, a couple tacos are a good bet. At Taco Bell, the Spicy Chicken Soft Taco has the least calories at 170.

I would stay away from the other tacos due to the saturated fat content. If you want something with cheese, I would recommend the Chicken Gordita with Nacho Cheese over a different taco, because it only has 2 grams of saturated fat, compared to the other tacos and other gorditas, which have 5 or 6. Gorditas also generally have 70 calories less than chalupas. 

Burritos and nearly all the items on the Specialties menu have a humongous amount of bloat-inducing salt.

Mexican rice is the lowest-calorie side (110 calories.)

Menu

What do you eat when only fast food will do?

Photo by soundman1024 under these terms.