In the past few years more and more fastfood burrito joints have been opening up. The burrito restaurant is no longer monopolized by the local Hispanic people with their authentic restaurant on the corner. Americanized big business has jumped at the profitability and popularity of tacos, burritos, and other quick to cook Mexican foods. There is Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Qdoba, Taco Fresco, among many others.

Mexican food as with any other food can be very good for you or very bad for you. A little thought can quickly turn a tasty meal with lots of negative qualities into a meal that is both tasty and healthy. When the urge hits to head to the local burrito restaurant be prepared to make the choices that will keep you on the track towards physical improvement.

When Chipotle first came out I was very skeptical about the health aspect and quality of the food. Any company that McDonald’s owns or is involved with warrants a cautious approach. McDonald’s has become famous for their quick and efficient style of food preparation, but not the high quality of food. All I have to think of is Morgan Spurlock in Supersize Me and I immediately feel repulsed by the idea of consuming any McDonald’s. For many years I avoided Chipotle with the idea that it would be no different than McDonald’s.

A few months ago I decided to give Chipotle a chance and was actually surprised. The quality of the food was rather impressive. On their menu, cups, and napkins they proudly proclaim that they use all organic products and recycled materials. I will admit that this isn’t 100 percent convincing since the regulation of organic products can be a little loose, but nonetheless it is a step in the right direction.

Chipotle has a pretty straightforward menu, offering tacos, burritos, and salads. The standard preparation of each, which most people seem to get, can be extremely bad for you because of the large amount of calories. People consume numerous burritos on a weekly basis wondering why they aren’t losing any weight. A typical burrito can have well over a thousand calories after adding the rice, meat, beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. The food is basically a health disaster, completely sabotaging any attempt to keep your weight under control. A few simple changes and you can have an enjoyable meal that is also quite healthy.

For those of you who can’t live without a good burrito there are a few things to keep in mind. First off, determine where you are at physically now and where you want to be. If you are a woman who weighs 140 pounds and wants to get down to 120 pounds, a burrito will provide too many calories no matter what you do. It is just too much food. You will get close to a days worth of calories in one meal. But for the men or extremely active women there are a few changes you can request that will make the burrito much better for you.

The first thing they put on the burrito at the restaurant is rice, this step needs to go. Let them know as they are steaming your tortilla that you don’t want any rice. Buy eliminating the rice you are getting rid of a filler with very little nutritional value. Make sure that you load up on the beans, I prefer black beans but the pinto beans are fine if you prefer those. The beans provide a great source of protein and fiber. Next you need to choose your meat. Each one has about the same amount of calories, so pick whatever one you prefer. Once you choose your meat you need to pick your salsa. There have been studies that have shown that spicy foods will cause you to burn more calories because of your body’s response. With that in mind I recommend choosing the hottest salsa you can comfortably enjoy, no need to be in pain. After the salsa it is time to choose the condiments. This is where you can save yourself a lot of calories. Ideally you would forgo all of the additives except for the lettuce. Definitely stay away from the sour cream, since it only provides empty calories. The cheese adds roughly 100 calories to the burrito, while the guacamole adds 150 calories. Between the two I would recommend going with the guacamole since it has more nutritional value. Use your best judgment, but realize that the more calories you eat the harder it is going to be to lose weight.

For the people with a smaller appetite or people who are really trying to lose weight I recommend eating a few tacos. Tacos provide all of the same flavors of a burrito but in a much smaller portion size. I recommend going with the soft flour tortilla because hard tortillas are generally fried. As with the burrito, choose whatever meat you prefer since they all have the same amount of calories per serving. After the meat it is just a matter of choosing your condiments. The same rule applies as with the burrito, I would recommend avoiding the sour cream and potentially the cheese and guacamole. My preference would be to have the tacos with meat, salsa, and lettuce, but I know this may be boring for some. In that case I would advise picking one of the three additional toppings, with my top choice being guacamole. The less toppings and calories you consume the better off you will be.

The other two options are a burrito bol or a salad, with all of the above rules applying. Avoid the rice, since it provides very little value, and keep the use of sour cream, cheese, and guacamole to a minimum. A few simple choices can either make a healthy meal or an awful meal. Another choice you have at the restaurant is getting chips for you salsa or guacamole. At any restaurant this is the worst thing you can do. Chips and rolls are pointless calories that you should do without. Lastly, you need to choose a drink. My only choice is always water. Anything else is either downright bad for you as is the case with pop and beer, or pointless like the sugary fruit juice they sell.

The key is acknowledging each choice you have to make when ordering food and how each choice will affect you. Avoid the empty calories at all costs and you can turn a meal that wasn’t very good to a much healthier option. As with everything, a few simple decision stands between you and your ultimate goal. Good luck.

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