Do you consider Chipotle healthy?

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Nope. I have only eaten there twice and really don't see much of the appeal. Back in college, we had a Freebirds across from campus that was fabulous and that's where I ate (sadly, that chain has gone downhill fast so I don't eat there much, either) which left few times for me to go to Chipotle. But, I went to the website just now and calculated how many calories would be in what I would most likely wish to order. This way, I could have a good clue of just how healthy it is or isn't. A burrito with steak, black beans, fajita vegetables, corn salsa, tomato salsa, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce has over 1,000 calories. Contrast that to my favorite thing at McDonalds, the quarter pounder with cheese meal that has medium fries an a drink included. That meal comes in at 860 calories. Now, Jenny Craig isn't going to be endorcing either meal anytime soon, but if McDonald's isn't considered healthy, I would not consider Chipotle healthy, either. At least, not going off of what I would typically want to order.

 

[pigletgirl]

No! The chicken burrito that they advertise has almost 1200 calories in it. If you eliminate the cheese and sour cream, it has 930 calories. Chipotle has a nice nutrition calculator on it's website if you want to see what your favorite thing is in caloric content.

 

[Jennasis]

I consider it delicious.

 

[alicat8]

I consider it delicious.

Hahahaha yes!! Healthy is for home, out is for delicious

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I like Moe's better actually.

 

[kkandaj]

If we're talking about "healthy" for eating out, yes. You can limit what you eat. DD and I share a burrito bowl with rice, beans, chicken, lettuce, salsa, guac--a little cheese and a little sour cream.

I also give Chipotle because they are amazing with food allergies. Their ingredients are REAL ingredients and not filled with crap, so DS can eat there. The person that takes his order changes their gloves and that is the only person that touches his food. They even get some of his food from the back (chicken, guacamole) to avoid cross contamination on the front line. Any time we go on vacation, we try and find a Chipotle so DS can have one meal "out." Otherwise, it's all food we've prepared for him.

 

[ellone]

No place is as healthy as you can make it at home - they add way more sodium than you do at home. But if I do eat out it (which is very rarely - less than once a month) I will eat there. They are making an attempt to get away from GMO ingredients and those are things I never eat at home.

 

[cassandrap83]

yep there it is

Carnitas
Pork , Lard, Bay Leaf, Salt, Black Pepper, Thyme, Juniper Berries, Sunflower Oil

I am happy with this list. I prefer ingredients I can identify.

 

[summerblue]

I have not ever actually eaten there, we most eat at home due to dietary restrictions, BUT it is considered a "safe" place to eat (we follow Feingold diet). Not looking at calories, fat, etc, they are better for you in the respect they do not use artificials in their food and are making the move to eliminate GMOs.

 

[LilyWDW]

No! The chicken burrito that they advertise has almost 1200 calories in it. If you eliminate the cheese and sour cream, it has 930 calories. Chipotle has a nice nutrition calculator on it's website if you want to see what your favorite thing is in caloric content.

So? 1200 calories isn't even my BMR and, if I wanted, I could easily fit that into a day where I am eating my TDEE (to maintain my weight). Just because something is high in calories doesn't make it not healthy.

 

[ebradley23]

Absolutely. I get a barbacoa bowl with brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, mild salsa, medium salsa (yes, two salsas), guac and a lid. It's two meals for me. I cook 90% of our meals, so one high sodium meal isn't going to kill me.

I lost 45 lbs in 6 months last year. I was able to lose that much and maintain the loss even with incorporating Chipotle into my diet a couple time a month. If I need a quick meal, it's my go to restaurant. I haven't eaten at any other fast food type restaurants in well over a year though. I don't think I would have my weight loss success incorporating them.

 

[Christine]

Nope. I have only eaten there twice and really don't see much of the appeal. Back in college, we had a Freebirds across from campus that was fabulous and that's where I ate (sadly, that chain has gone downhill fast so I don't eat there much, either) which left few times for me to go to Chipotle. But, I went to the website just now and calculated how many calories would be in what I would most likely wish to order. This way, I could have a good clue of just how healthy it is or isn't. A burrito with steak, black beans, fajita vegetables, corn salsa, tomato salsa, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce has over 1,000 calories. Contrast that to my favorite thing at McDonalds, the quarter pounder with cheese meal that has medium fries an a drink included. That meal comes in at 860 calories. Now, Jenny Craig isn't going to be endorcing either meal anytime soon, but if McDonald's isn't considered healthy, I would not consider Chipotle healthy, either. At least, not going off of what I would typically want to order.

Caloric count doesn't equate to healthy.

At Chipotle, the following items on your burrito actually have nutrients in them: black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, and guacomole. I doubt there is one item in your quarter pounder meal that is supplying you with any real nutrition.

But if you're dieting, hands-down, your McD's meal is going to come in lower.

 

[LilyWDW]

Caloric count doesn't equate to healthy.

At Chipotle, the following items on your burrito actually have nutrients in them: black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, and guacomole. I doubt there is one item in your quarter pounder meal that is supplying you with any real nutrition.

But if you're dieting, hands-down, your McD's meal is going to come in lower.

The steak and cheese also contain nutrients. That burrito is actually quite healthy when you look at the protein and fat break downs.

But some people seem to think that "high calorie" equals unhealthy. No idea where this idea came from. With light exercise I can eat 2000+ calories a day and not gain weight.

 

[Christine]

The steak and cheese also contain nutrients. That burrito is actually quite healthy when you look at the protein and fat break downs.

But some people seem to think that "high calorie" equals unhealthy. No idea where this idea came from. With light exercise I can eat 2000+ calories a day and not gain weight.

Yes, they sure do (especially if you go to a Chipotle that uses grass-fed beef). I deliberately left them off the comparison because the quarter pounder also has "beef" and "cheese." I put a quote on those words because I'm not sure how authentic that beef and cheese really is compared to the quality that Chipotle is using.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I was wondering how many of you eat there and consider it healthy.

If you leave off the cheese, sour cream, and no tortilla.

Meat, beans, brown rice, salsa, lettuce, and some guac.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

As others have said, healthy is not synonymous with "low cal" and while there is often a correlation, it is not absolute. That having been said, I think Chipotle is a much better option for fast/fast-casual food than many of its competitors because it uses better quality ingredients and prepares them freshly and without preservatives.

Also, while lard has a bad reputation, it is actually one of the healthier fats and certainly much better for you than the transfats that it often replaces. It shouldn't be eaten with every meal or in massive quantities, but it is similar to butter, which after a lot of research appears to be a far better alternative to the margarines that attempted to unseat it, and like butter, lard offers a better taste profile.

 

[Christine]

As others have said, healthy is not synonymous with "low cal" and while there is often a correlation, it is not absolute. That having been said, I think Chipotle is a much better option for fast/fast-casual food than many of its competitors because it uses better quality ingredients and prepares them freshly and without preservatives.

Also, while lard has a bad reputation, it is actually one of the healthier fats and certainly much better for you than the transfats that it often replaces. It shouldn't be eaten with every meal or in massive quantities, but it is similar to butter, which after a lot of research appears to be a far better alternative to the margarines that attempted to unseat it, and like butter, lard offers a better taste profile.

I think lard might be making a comeback, now that they figured out that these "old" fats are nearly as bad as the substitutes. You can impart more flavor with much less of it.

McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef tallow (http://realfoodforager.com/four-reasons-to-use-beef-tallow/). And man, they were delicious. But that stopped doing that when things such as lard and beef tallow got a bad name. I think we are coming back to realizing that, in small quantities, these were better choices.

 

[mrssmith06]

Compared to some other places, yes. But for the most part who cares? It's yummy! LOL

 

[Minnesota!]

I am happy with this list. I prefer ingredients I can identify.

I just went and calculated what I typically get and it came in at 770 calories...not horrible. Would be less if I could give up the sour cream...I cannot.

I don't consider any "fast food" healthy, but a treat now and then will not be the death of it. That would be the pop that I gave up 1 week ago today...that is what was killing me..

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Caloric count doesn't equate to healthy.

At Chipotle, the following items on your burrito actually have nutrients in them: black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, and guacomole. I doubt there is one item in your quarter pounder meal that is supplying you with any real nutrition.

But if you're dieting, hands-down, your McD's meal is going to come in lower.

This is true. That said, if you are trying to lose weight, you must have fewer calories coming in than going out. If you wish to maintain, calories in must equal calories out. From that standpoint, it doesn't matter if the calories come from spinach or chocolate. Now, much more does go into healthy such as vitamins and nutrients, that's true. It's the same thing as saying that just because a person is thin doesn't mean he or she is healthier than a person with extra pounds. Personally, I don't really trust any fast food place (or any restaurant, really) to be health food. I hear about restaurants that inject their grilled chicken with butter and other fats to improve the flavor or cook their "steamed" vegetables in butter. I'd rather just prepare it in my own kitchen and know what all is going into my food.