With recent, responsibly-sourced substances, Chipotle makes it simple to eat wholesome on the go. However the yummy chips, toppings, and tortillas additionally make it simple to show your order into an unintended cheat meal. So what must you order at Chipotle? We requested two vitamin specialists to interrupt down suggestions for locating the healthiest choices.

(Dietary information is supplied by the Chipotle Vitamin Calculator.)

1. Begin with the Fundamentals

If you’re deciding what to order at Chipotle, skip the burrito — the massive flour tortilla incorporates 320 energy, and that’s earlier than you add any toppings. “Go for the tacos, salad, or bowls as a substitute,” says Kristian Morey, RD, LDN and Medical dietitian at The Middle for Endocrinology at Mercy Medical Middle in Baltimore.

Right here’s how these choices stack up:

• Salad is your finest wager, with simply 15 energy within the mattress of supergreens.
• If you happen to order a burrito bowl, select brown rice over white. A standard serving of rice (in a burrito bowl, burrito, or a three-taco meal) incorporates 210 energy, so request a “gentle” portion in particular person or within the app when ordering — or skip it altogether.
• If you happen to order tacos, go for the crispy corn shells — an order of three incorporates 200 energy and 0 sodium, in comparison with 250 energy and 480 mg of sodium for 3 mushy flour tortillas.

2. Add Lean Protein

Subsequent, add some wholesome protein to your order. Black beans and pinto beans each include 130 energy and eight grams of protein in a mean scoop, so select whichever bean you want finest.

For the primary protein occasion, go for hen or sofritas (shredded tofu braised in spices). “Each are decrease in saturated fats than purple meat,” says Sofia Norton, RD at Kiss My Keto. Sofritas clock in at 150 energy, 8 grams of protein, and 1.5 grams of saturated fats per serving. The hen possibility has 180 energy and three grams of saturated fats, however a whopping 32 grams of protein per serving.

3. Go Heavy on the Veggies

Norton suggests together with loads of veggies, so add some fajita greens, tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, roasted chili corn, or further supergreens to your dish. (Go best on the corn, which incorporates 80 energy per serving.)

4. Watch Out for Saturated Fats

Don’t overdo it in the case of shredded cheese, queso blanco sauce, and bitter cream — these can add a variety of saturated fats and energy to your meal. (Chipotle’s shredded cheese has 5 grams of saturated fats per serving, queso blanco has 6 grams, and bitter cream has 7 grams.)

Chipotle’s salsa choices — each the recent tomato salsa and the tomatillo green-chili salsa — are nice, low-cal, flavorful choices. However in the event you’re craving a creamy topping or dip, decide only one, and request a light-weight portion. Even higher, order it on the aspect so you’ll be able to management how a lot you add to your meals, Morey says.

5. Spring for the Guac

Avocados include “useful vitamins like fiber, B nutritional vitamins, and potassium,” Norton says, together with wholesome fat which are believed to learn coronary heart well being. And Chipotle’s guacamole consists of solely actual stuff — avocados, cilantro, jalapeño, lemon juice, lime juice, purple onion, and salt — no humorous enterprise like preservatives or synthetic flavors. Simply understand that a serving to of guac provides 230 energy to your meal, so you might need to order it on the aspect so you’ll be able to eat half now and save the remaining for later.

6. Skip the Chips

Chips are tempting, however go away them off your order. “The smallest possibility clocks in at over 500 energy,” Morey says. “That’s virtually a meal’s value for some folks.” And a big order of chips with a aspect of queso blanco will run you 1,290 energy and incorporates 28 grams of saturated fats.

7. Take Benefit of the Vitamin Calculator

Earlier than you order, Morey recommends working your order by way of the useful Vitamin Calculator on the Chipotle web site — it calculates the total dietary data of your meal. It’s also possible to see the distinction in dietary stats in the event you select to go “further,” “regular,” or “gentle” on any of your alternatives. For example, you’ll be able to rapidly see that selecting a light-weight serving of cilantro-lime brown rice as a substitute of a traditional serving will shave off 105 energy.

Simple Choices to Order at Chipotle

Nonetheless undecided what to order at Chipotle? Listed below are a number of choices that supply loads of vitamins. (Remember the sodium content material could be vital, even within the healthiest choices at Chipotle — so attempt to restrict your sodium consumption the remainder of the day.)

Salad with hen

Add black beans, fajita greens, and recent tomato salsa.

• Energy: 360
• Fats: 9 grams
• Protein: 41 grams
• Carbohydrates: 32 grams

Burrito bowl with sofritas

Add cilantro-lime brown rice (gentle), pinto beans, fajita greens, tomatillo green-chili salsa, and romaine lettuce

• Energy: 425
• Fats: 15 grams
• Protein: 19 grams
• Carbohydrates: 58 grams

Veggie tacos

Select two crispy corn tortillas as a substitute of three, and add black beans, fajita greens, recent tomato salsa, guacamole, and romaine lettuce

• Energy: 406
• Fats: 22 grams
• Protein: 10 grams
• Carbohydrates: 46 grams

Life-style Bowls

If you happen to’re following a particular weight-reduction plan plan, you can even select one among Chipotle’s pre-designed Life-style Bowls — they’re accessible in Whole30, paleo, and vegan-friendly variations.