HEALTH

 

Restaurants known as "fast casual" have become more and more popular lately. One of those is Chipotle, where you can customize your burrito, tacos, burrito bowl, etc. tons of different ways. Like most restaurants, these options can range from healthy to not-so-good for you, but when faced with the decision between McDonald's and Chipotle, we tend to think the latter is definitely the better option. But is it *really* that much healthier? According to The New York Times, it might not be.

In a study of Grubhub orders, the typical Chipotle meal has about 1,070 calories, close to 2,400 milligrams of salt and about 75 percent of a full day’s worth of saturated fat. That means one order of Chipotle is about half of what you’re supposed to have throughout the day, calorie-wise, and the amount of salt is over the recommended 2,300 milligrams.

Fear not though, Chipotle fans: It all depends on what you order. It’s definitely possible to build a Mexican meal that has a better nutritional value. A burrito bowl, for example, can be a healthier option and along with the fresh tomato salsa (although the dip still has 210 milligrams of sodium – more salt than a 1 oz. bag of Lay’s potato chips). And speaking of chips, even small orders like bowls or tacos can rocket up both the calories *and* the salt. Have just a few, or swap them out for a side of fruit.

And finally, you can't always rely on the calorie numbers posted on the menu, either. Three customers in L.A. actually sued Chipotle for that exact reason. They each bought a chorizo burrito thinking that the whole thing was only 300 calories (which was posted on the sign) when in reality it was 1,050 calories. Chipotle responded with the fact that the 300 calories was just for the chorizo itself not the entire burrito. So don’t be fooled by the sneaky signage, because you might end up getting a lot more than you bargained for.

Does this information surprise you at all? Let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: Instagram.

by Maddie Smith | 8/26/2017